Crash News World 2016

Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has emphasised the significance of comprehensive measures for curbing traffic accidents and congestion and building a friendly and safe transport system.

It is crucial to complete institution and legal framework, while expanding transport infrastructure system, enhancing management capacity of State agencies and building transportation culture, the said while chairing the national conference on traffic safety 2016 in Hanoi on December 22.

The Deputy PM, who is also head of the National Committee for Traffic Safety, noted that traffic accident remains complicated, as every day 24 people die and other 60 suffer lifetime injury due to traffic accidents.

He suggested that participants at the conference give ideas for the completion of the Traffic Law and other regulations related to traffic safety, as well as the application of information technology in ensuring traffic safety in the 2016-2020 period.

He stressed the need to upgrade database and improve the efficiency of coordination among relevant agencies. Meanwhile, it is necessary to pay greater attention to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, while tightening the supervision and control of traffic safety violations, he said.

Deputy PM Binh asked the Standing Committee of the National Committee for Traffic Safety to summarise the scientific researches in the field for ministries and localities to consider the possibility of application.

He also requested for closer cooperation with scientists and listen to their ideas, thus updating advanced knowledge and technology of the world.

The conference, which drew representatives from ministries, sectors, localities, domestic and international non-governmental organisations as well as over 400 scientists and experts in traffic safety, saw the announcement of 90 scientific researches.

Participants discussed a wide range of issues, including the management of road traffic, infrastructure system and vehicles, railway and waterway traffic safety, as well as shortcomings and solutions to traffic insurance in Vietnam.

They gave recommendations on adjustments to legal documents on traffic safety in Vietnam, especially the Traffic Law 2008.-VNA

18 people die in separate traffic accidents in Afghanistan

22nd December 2016 KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

At least 18 people were killed and around 80 others wounded in two separate highway traffic accidents in western Afghanistan, provincial officials said on Sunday.

Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor in Farah province, said a bus hit a fuel tanker on the main highway, killing 14 people and wounding more than 40. The bus was on its way from western Herat toward the capital, Kabul, when the accident took place, Mehri said.

“Around a dozen of the wounded are in critical condition,” Mehri said.

Accident involving fuel truck kills at least four in Riyadh

Dec 15, 2016

Flames rise from burning trucks after the crash and explosion in Riyadh Wednesday morning. Al-Arabiya

RIYADH — Residents of the Saudi capital woke up Wednesday morning to a loud explosion resulting from a traffic accident that killed at least four people and injured several others.

According to the Civil Defense, the accident was between a fuel truck and two trucks carrying heavy equipment, sand and rocks. The accident sparked fire in the vehicles killing four non-Saudis and injuring some members of the Civil Defense.

The Civil Defense managed to control the situation after seven firefighting squads, four rescue teams and six aid units battling for hours. All three burned-out vehicles were removed from the road.

13 teachers killed in Punjab road accident

10th December 2016

In a tragic accident due to dense fog, thirteen teachers were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a truck in Punjab on Friday morning, police said.

The accident took place near Chandmajri village on the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway, about 320 kms from here. The vehicle has been completely damaged in the accident.

The victims included women teachers and a few new joinees. Most of the victims were teachers in government schools who were travelling to their institutions for work. There were 15 teachers in the vehicle who belonged to the Fazilka and Abohar belt of southwest Punjab, a police official said.

The police said the truck driver and cleaner had absconded.

UK: Dangerous drivers who kill are set to face life sentences for the first time under a new crackdown.

5th December 2016

Motorists who cause death by speeding, street racing or while on a mobile phone are among those who could be handed tougher punishments.

Offenders convicted of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs could also be given life sentences under the Government plans. Ministers hope the proposed move will see an increase in the punishments faced by those responsible for the most serious road offences.

Under the current regime they can attract a maximum sentence of 14 years – but the average custodial sentence for causing death by careless or dangerous driving was 45.8 months, or just under four years, in 2015. “We also want clarification on whether the current automatic 50% discount, where convicted drivers serve only half their term in jail, will still apply for these new, proposed sentences.”

Unveiling the proposals, Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said: “Killer drivers ruin lives. Their actions cause immeasurable pain to families, who must endure tragic, unnecessary losses. “While impossible to compensate for the death of a loved one, we are determined to make sure the punishment fits the crime.

“My message is clear – if you drive dangerously and kill on our roads, you could face a life sentence.”

Ministers are set to launch a consultation on the proposals, which include increasing the maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, or careless driving whilst under the influence of drink and drugs, from 14 years to life

They will also consider creating a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving, with a maximum sentence of three years, and increasing minimum driving bans for those convicted of causing death. Last year 122 people were sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving, with a further 21 convicted of causing death by careless driving while under the influence, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.

Under separate plans announced earlier this year the Department of Transport is set to introduce legislation doubling the punishment for using a hand held mobile phone while driving -with the fine rising from £100 to £200 and penalty points increasing from three to six. The MoJ consultation will run until February.

Gary Rae, campaigns director for road safety charity Brake, said: “This is a vindication of our efforts, and those of victims’ families, calling for change through our Roads to Justice campaign. “For too long the justice system has treated them as second-class citizens. We do remain concerned that the charge of ‘careless’ driving could remain. “Some of the strongest feedback we have received from the families we work with is that there is nothing careless about taking someone else’s life.

Ajman: Drones fitted with infrared video cameras are taking to the skies in a bid to catch reckless drivers and improve road safety in Ajman, a police official said.

The take photos and videos of violating vehicles in addition to monitoring roads and finding reasons behind traffic jams and accidents.

Major Saif Al Falasi, deputy director of Ajman Police Traffic Department, told Gulf News that a total of 2,000 traffic violations were recorded by the drones since their launch in March.

The violations included driving on the road hard shoulder, failure to maintain lane discipline and obstructing traffic.

Ajman Police is the first police department in the UAE to use drones to patrol traffic on the emirate’s roads.

The drones are fitted with cameras which allow police to read licence plates, spot traffic breaches, and detect structural faults on the roads. The drones also could be used to monitor problem areas such as zones affected by floods or other natural disasters.

Major Al Falasi said the drones take video footage of accidents and identify locations with major traffic jams to help patrol cars clear these areas and carry out their duties more effectively.

He said the drones can shoot pictures of emergency situations that are sometimes inaccessible for photographers, such as certain traffic accidents and fire incidents. The drones can operate round-the-clock with high efficiency and capture images and videos from very far.

Images of the fire in Ajman One complex were shot by the traffic police drones, he said “Using drones on accident scenes enables police to collect evidence. Investigators then download the data and use special imaging software to take measurements of the scene. They can also move around the virtual scene and view it from many different angles. Previously, investigators had to measure a scene using on-the-ground surveyor tools.”

He said the newly developed drones can live-stream the images and videos of the emergency situations to patrol vehicles and senior officers at the central operations room, which help them take appropriate decisions immediately.

The police had received a number of complaints about traffic jams in and around the school zone. The police deployed the drone and found an immediate solution to the problem. Now the traffic flow is smooth in the area, he added.

Highways to show signs of safety

In a bid to augment the safety and accident-prevention measures on highways falling under the purview of the Tirupati Urban Police, the traffic department officials, with the financial assistance of the Punjab National Bank (PNB), will be setting up nearly 100 cautionary road signs on the 40-km stretch from Kukkaladoddi to Nellaballi area.

According to a recent survey undertaken by the police department, traffic officials have identified as many as 54 black spots/accident prone zones and commenced work to establish stoppers, road signs, caution boards and other preventive measures on the stretch. Speaking to The Hindu, Traffic DSP II V. Ramana Kumar explained the steps envisaged by Tirupati Urban SP R. Jayalakshmi to make the roads in the temple city safe for the locals as well as devotees coming from other places.

“Our main focus was to reduce the number of accidents on highways. In this regard, the Traffic Department has been conducting regular drives to keep a tab on drunken driving, overspeeding (with the help of Interceptor) etc. However, we wanted the highways to be safe, resulting in the current initiative,” he remarked. The drives, termed as sub divisional enforcement programme, bring together traffic officials and others from Renigunta, Chandragiri, M.R. Palle and Tiruchanur police stations.

Accident-prone areas: With some major areas still bearing the tag of ‘accident-prone regions’, the officials are also teaming up with the engineers from Transstroy India Limited to rectify the issues. Areas such as Mungilipattu, Chandragiri Road, Ramanujapalli Circle, Tanapalli Cross are currently under focus.

“We have also spoken to the school managements near highways and will be setting up stoppers from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Besides this, the number of deaths due to accidents has come down in the past couple of years,” maintained Mr. Kumar.

Technological advantage: The Tirupati Urban Police, who have already earned the distinction of being ‘tech-savvy’ for their connect with the citizens, have also initiated an auto-digitalisation programme which enables passengers engaging the services of an autorickshaw or taxi, to know the details of the driver by scanning a QR Code (via smartphones) embedded on the owner identification cards.

It also displays details of the Traffic Department officials for further reference. Till date, 450 taxis and 1,500 autorickshaws installed the facility. The traffic officials have also been tracking violations through Command and Control Centre with regular issuance of e-challans and posting such violations on the Facebook page of the Tirupati Urban Police for spreading awareness on traffic rules.

In Vietnam, traffic accidents kill more people than pandemic diseases

NOVEMBER 25, 2016

Motorbikes try to weave their way between the cars as they all fight for space on the road as heavy traffic clogs up a main street in downtown Hanoi. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam

Vietnamese roads are ranked among the world’s worst for motorcyclists.

Traffic accidents remain the biggest single cause of fatalities in Vietnam even as the country has been working to make local roads safer.

Last year, road traffic deaths were 30 times higher than the number of people killed by pandemic diseases, Nguyen Thien Nhan, chairman of the Vietnam’s mass political organization Fatherland Front Central Committee, said at a conference Wednesday.

“Traffic-related accidents in every three years kill as many people as pandemic diseases do in 100 years,” said Nhan, as cited by local media.

According to the World Health Organization, on average, road traffic accidents kill approximately 14,000 people in Vietnam every year and are the leading cause of death among those aged between 15 and 29 years. Motorcyclists account for more than half of the fatalities.

Official statistics show that in the past five years, the death toll has decreased by 21 percent to about 48,000 and the number of injured people has shrunk by 22 percent to 162,000, compared to the previous five-year period.

Vietnam is trying to reduce road traffic fatalities to fewer than 20 per day, or 7,300 per year. Traffic congestion, inadequate law enforcement, poor driving skills and bad street conditions are often cited as the main reasons for road crashes.

Traffic accidents in China, Thailand kill 35

23rd November 2016

The wreckage of the tour bus in the ravine after it plunged off a winding hill road in Uttaradit’s Muang district. ─Bangkok Post

Rescue and other officials gather at the site of a huge pile-up on a Chinese motorway. ─AFP

The wreckage of the tour bus in the ravine after it plunged off a winding hill road in Uttaradit’s Muang district. ─Bangkok Post

Rescue and other officials gather at the site of a huge pile-up on a Chinese motorway. ─AFP

At least 35 people were killed in two separate traffic accidents in China and Thailand, killing 17 and 18 people respectively.

A huge pile-up on a Chinese motorway killed at least 17 and injured 37 people on Tuesday when a total of 56 vehicles crashed into each other in winter weather, said Chinese state media. “The accident happened due to snow and rainy weather in the northern province of Shanxi, on an expressway linking Beijing with Kunming,” reported the official news agency Xinhua.

Pictures of the scene showed lorries scattered haphazardly across the road, some of them overturned, and burnt-out wrecks of cars after the crash.

Traffic accidents are common in China, with the World Health Organisation(WHO) estimating that more than 260,000 people were killed on the country’s roads in 2013.

The WHO figures are strikingly higher than official pronouncements, in a country where government data are often questioned, with the National Bureau of Statistics reporting 58,539 traffic fatalities that year ─ less than a quarter of the WHO’s approximation.

18 dead as Thai bus plunges into ravine

Eighteen retirees returning from holiday were killed and 20 were injured on Tuesday after their tour bus plunged down a ravine in northern Thailand, police and a media report said, the latest disaster in a country with notoriously dangerous roads, reported Bangkok Post.

The victims were all former employees of state-run company CAT Telecom and were making their way to Bangkok from a province in the mountainous north.

“18 people died and 20 were injured after a bus fell down into deep ravine because the driver was not familiar with the road,” Commander of Uttaradit Police Station Colonel Ditsayadej Patcharapuwadol told AFP.

“The bus was on its way to Bangkok ─ coming down a steep road when it hit a barrier and fell into the 50-metre deep ravine,” he said, adding that the driver was one of those killed in the accident in Muang district of Uttaradit province.

Photos of the crash site posted on social media showed the bus had come to a halt down a steep jungle ravine, its roof almost entirely sheared off.

British great-grandfather is killed by hit-and-run truck driver in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings as he returned from Tutankhamun’s tomb

John Traynor, 64, died after being hit by a lorry on a desert highway

He was on holiday with partner Julie Galbraith, who was also injured

The driver of the lorry which ploughed into the car they were in sped off after the crash

His son Damien said: ‘He was my mate more than my dad’

22 November 2016

A British great granddad has been killed by a hit-and-run driver in the desert as he returned from a dream trip to see Tutankhamun’s tomb. Tragedy struck in the Valley of the Kings as John Traynor, 64, and his girlfriend were being driven back to their hotel in a hire car.

A lorry on a desert highway ploughed into the side of the vehicle where Mr Traynor was sitting as his partner slept beside him. Mr Traynor, a former Labour councillor in Blackpool, died as a result of his injuries.

A hunt is now underway for the driver who sped off, leaving the couple and their driver and guide injured in the wreckage. Doctors battled to save the life of the pensioner, who bore the brunt of the impact, after the accident on Friday but he died in hospital.

Tragedy struck in the Valley of the Kings as John Traynor, 64, and his girlfriend were being driven back to their hotel in a hire car. Heartbroken son Damien said they had just set off on the drive back through the desert when a lorry smashed into Mr Traynor’s passenger seat. He added: ‘Julie was asleep. All she heard was my dad shouting “We are going to crash”.’

All four people inside the car were taken to Luxor International Hospital.

Damien said: ‘They operated on my dad and I got a call saying he was stable in the intensive care unit. ‘But then I got another call later from Julie saying he had died. We still don’t know the official cause of death.’

The driver and the guide were also badly hurt, while Julie, who is now recovering at home, escaped with minor injuries.

INDIA: The world day of remembrance for road traffic victims – 1 in 6 accidents on city roads ends in a fatality

Nov 20, 2016,

AHMEDABAD: This year has seen a number of gruesome road accidents including the mowing down of two persons by a speeding AMTS bus in August, death of two girls returning from college by a speeding dumper in September, and death of an engineering student near Nirnaynagar by a liquorladen auto in October.

However, the question remains -will the incidents serve as warning signs for the commuters? City traffic police and NGOs think so. As the world marks third Sunday of November every year as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims,there would be multiple events held in the city to educate Amdavadis about how an accident changes the fate of families when their breadwinner is gone.

A senior city traffic police official said that analysis of the statistics reveal that first ten months of 2016 have reported 1593 accidents out of which 258 had reported fatalities whereas 311 left at least one person grievously injured. “The statistics also show that 82.82% of the 262 dead in road crashes and 77.84% of 316 sustaining serious injuries were males. A number of exercises are already undertaken by the traffic branch including mapping of accident spots, analysis of accident spots by technology and creating awareness among children,” said an official, adding that on the enforcement side, an average of 2,000 e-challans are generated everyday.

“But more than that, the sense of being responsible has to come from within,” said Amit Khatri, a city-based road safety expert. “Our elders used to say `be careful,’ whenever we stepped outside house.”

“I believe that the mantra has to be reintroduced. With the exponential rise in number of vehicles, we are more accident-prone today and responsible driving is the only feasible answer,” Khatri said.

JKJR Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur director Subashini Jane Anthony Muthu (pix) said the visit was to lift the spirits of patients who became unfortunate victims of accidents and also to raise awareness of post-accident work and procedures, patient and hospital rights, which most are unaware of.

She said these include filing police reports within a stipulated time period (within 7 days for non-hospitalised victims, within 30 days for hospitalised victims), investigation and insurance claims.

She added some of the patients visited have yet to file a police report despite the accident having taken place almost 30 days ago. “The accidents are also a reminder to reduce dangerous driving habits such as abusing the emergency lane and using mobile phones while driving,” said Subashini.

Patients of the ward, which is part of the orthopaedic and spinal treatment department, received hampers containing packet drinks, biscuits, coffee, and muffins. There are currently more than two dozen patients in the ward, of whom six are hit and run accident victims.

There were 489,606 traffic accidents in 2015, of which 6,706 were fatal and 4,102 with severe injuries. Roughly 18 people die from traffic accidents in Malaysia each day.

USA:Tech Distractions Blamed for Rise in Traffic Fatalities

By NEAL E. BOUDETTENOV. 15, 2016

Brett Hudson installed a Bluetooth system in his 2002 Chevy TrailBlazer to allow hands-free phone calling, but he concedes that the setup is not risk-free.CreditFabrizio Costantini for The New York Times

The messaging app Snapchat allows motorists to post photos that record the speed of the vehicle. The navigation app Waze rewards drivers with points when they report traffic jams and accidents. Even the game Pokémon Go has drivers searching for virtual creatures on the nation’s highways.

When distracted driving entered the national consciousness a decade ago, the problem was mainly people who made calls or sent texts from their cellphones. The solution then was to introduce new technologies to keep drivers’ hands on the wheel. Innovations since then — car Wi-Fi and a host of new apps — have led to a boom in internet use in vehicles that safety experts say is contributing to a surge in highway deaths.

After steady declines over the last four decades, highway fatalities last year recorded the largest annual percentage increase in 50 years. And the numbers so far this year are even worse. In the first six months of 2016, highway deaths jumped 10.4 percent, to 17,775, from the comparable period of 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating an Oct. 26 crash near Tampa that killed five people. A passenger in one car, a teenager, recorded a Snapchat video showing her vehicle traveling at 115 m.p.h. just before the collision. A lawsuit filed in a Georgia court claims a teenage driver who was in a September 2015 crash near Atlanta was using Snapchat while driving more than 100 m.p.h., according to court records. The car collided with the car of an Uber driver, who was seriously injured.

Alarmed by the statistics, the Department of Transportation in October outlined a plan to work with the National Safety Council and other advocacy groups to devise a “Road to Zero” strategy, with the ambitious goal of eliminating roadway fatalities within 30 years.

The Obama administration’s transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx, said that the near-term effort would involve identifying changes in regulations, laws and standards that could help reduce fatalities. That might include pushing for all states to tighten and enforce laws requiring use of seatbelts in cars and helmets on motorcycles, while cracking down on distracted or drunken driving. The effort might also include tougher regulation of heavy trucks, Mr. Foxx said.

Deadly Crashes Rise

After decades of steady declines, the number of deaths stemming from motor vehicle crashes has risen in the last two years to its highest level since 2009.

Note: 2016 rate based on projections. | Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration By The New York Times

A second, related effort would focus on setting longer-term goals and speeding the introduction of autonomous-driving technologies that many safety experts say have the potential to prevent accidents by removing distracted humans from the driving equation.

One concern so far, though, is that current generations of automated driver-assistance systems, like the Autopilot feature offered by Tesla Motors, may be lulling some drivers into a false sense of security that can contribute to distracted driving. Whether highway safety officials in the Trump administration will have the same priorities, though, is too soon to say. The names of candidates for transportation secretary have not yet been publicly floated.

Most new vehicles sold today have software that connects to a smartphone and allows drivers to place phone calls, dictate texts and use apps hands-free. Ford Motor has its Sync system, for example. Others, including Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz, offer their own interfaces as well as Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto.

Automakers say these systems enable customers to concentrate on driving even while interacting with their smartphones. “The whole principle is to bring voice recognition to customers so they can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,” said Alan Hall, a spokesman for Ford, which began installing Sync in cars in 2007.

Since then, the company has added features to reduce distractions, like a “do not disturb button” that lets drivers block incoming calls and texts. CarPlay allows use of the iPhone’s Siri virtual assistant to answer phone calls, dictate texts and control apps like Spotify and Pandora. Both Sync and CarPlay present simplified menus on a car’s in-dash display to reduce driver distraction and turn off the phone’s screen, eliminating the temptation to use the device itself.

But Deborah Hersman, president of the nonprofit National Safety Council and a former chairwoman of the federal National Transportation Safety Board, said it was not clear how much those various technologies reduced distraction — or, instead, encouraged people to use even more functions on their phones while driving. And freeing the drivers’ hands does not necessarily clear their heads.

Photo A 2017 BMW X5 S.U.V. owned by Dr. William Chandler, a retired neurosurgeon, warns him if he drifts out of his lane or a car is in his blind spot. A heads-up display on the windshield in front of him projects his speed, the speed limit and navigation information.CreditLaura McDermott for The New York Times

“It’s the cognitive workload on your brain that’s the problem,” Ms. Hersman said. Technology in some new cars is meant to reduce driver distractions or compensate for them. Dr. William Chandler, a retired neurosurgeon in Ann Arbor, Mich., just bought a 2017 BMW X5 sport utility vehicle that warns him if he drifts out of his lane on the highway or if a car is in his blind spot. His favorite feature is a heads-up display on the windshield in front of him that projects his speed, the speed limit and navigation information.

“It puts all the directions and turns right there in my field of vision,” he said. “That’s a real safety factor for distracted driving, because I’m never looking at the map on the screen in the console.”

But new cars make up only a small portion of the 260 million vehicles on the road in the United States. Digital diversion is harder to address in older models.

Brett Hudson, 26, a teacher at a charter school in Jackson, Mich., said his iPhone 6 Plus had become essential to his daily commute in his 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer. He uses Apple Maps for navigation, listens to music via Pandora and gets his favorite Michigan football call-in show on iHeart Radio. To reduce the time he looks at the phone, Mr. Hudson installed an aftermarket Bluetooth system for hands-free phone calls. He mounts the iPhone on a clip attached to an air vent, enabling him to see the screen while still keeping the road in his field of vision. Mr. Hudson concedes that the setup is not risk-free.

“I’ve noticed that when I do have to touch the phone,’’ he said, ‘‘my brain becomes so totally focused, even in that short period of time, and I don’t really remember what’s happening on the road in those four or five seconds.”

Insurance companies, which closely track auto accidents, are convinced that the increasing use of electronic devices while driving is the biggest cause of the rise in road fatalities, according to Robert Gordon, a senior vice president of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. “This is a serious public safety concern for the nation,” Mr. Gordon said at a recent conference in Washington held by the National Transportation Safety Board. “We are all trying to figure out to what extent this is the new normal.”

Credit records an effective way to change bad driving habits

On NOV 8 and 9, a national police conference on urban traffic management was held in Shanghai, according to which the police will put traffic violations, especially serious illegal conducts and accidents, in the credit records of the drivers. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

The drivers that cause major accidents, such as those involving casualties, face criminal charges or other deserved punishments, but the penalties for illegal behavior that is potentially dangerous but has not caused an accident, such as running a red light, are far from enough as drivers only get a fine and decreasing points on their license, which fails to curb their bad driving habits.

That’s why the new measure, namely listing illegal driving conducts into drivers’ credit records, is a welcome move. It will help effectively discourage people from breaking the law. With the introduction of this new measure, people are expected to be more careful when driving.

Some cities have already adopted a similar policy, namely raising the insurance for those who have been caught breaking the rules of the road. That has proved successful because the data show a decrease in the number of drivers caught running red lights and breaking the traffic rules.

Of course, citizens’ rights must be taken into consideration when implementing the policy of including driving offenses on their credit records. Drivers should be able to appeal and the power to edit people’s credit records should be transparent to ensure it is not abused.

Only the rule of law can govern modern society well, and credit records best serve that purpose. The new measure is therefore welcome and we hope it can be implemented smoothly and effectively.

26 Iranian pilgrims killed in bus accident

The bus was carrying pilgrims to the shrine city of Karabla to mark the festival of Arbaeen, when its brakes failed and it flipped over on Tuesday evening.

Some 2.5 million Iranians are expected in Karbala this month for Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day after the death in the seventh century of Imam Hussein, one of the pivotal figures of the Shiite faith.

Latest: Croydon death tram was SPEEDING after driver ‘collapsed on the controls’: At least seven dead with toll ‘set to rise’ and 50 hurt after two carriages careered off tracks and overturned

UK: Croydon tram overturns: Five trapped and 50 injured 7 dead

9th November 2016Image copyrightHANNAH COLLIER

Five people are trapped and 40 people have been injured after a tram overturned in south London, the city’s fire brigade has said.

The Met Police described the accident in Croydon, just after 06:00 GMT, as a “serious incident”. Hannah Collier, who lives nearby, said she saw people being carried away on stretchers. Police, fire and ambulance crews are at the scene and people are being asked to avoid the area.

Image copyrightMET POLICEImage copyrightSARAH BETHImage captionTrams are being held in the area

Ms Collier said: “I was in bed watching the election when I heard a big crash, which I though was the wind. “Then I heard people shouting and then the emergency services arriving. “Later I saw at least one person being brought out on a stretcher.”

Transport for London said tram that overturned was made up of two carriages. Fire crews, British Transport Police and the London Ambulance Service are at the scene.

Prof dies in accident, his organs to benefit five

Nov 7, 2016

Lucknow: All his life, as a professor in Mumbai, Mahesh Ashwan Prasad Jaiswal gave students lessons in chemistry but when he passed away on Sunday, he left behind a message of awareness about organ donation giving life to five others. A native of Rae Bareli, 42-year-old Mahesh was victim of a road traffic accident who was declared brain dead on Sunday, after which his family consented for organ donation.

The professor’s liver, both kidneys and corneas were retrieved by the team of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) doctors. The liver was transported to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) Delhi via a green corridor. With KGMU’s continued awareness drive to promote organ donation, it was the first time a patient was brought to KGMU from a private hospital for the procedure.

On October 27, Mahesh, along with his wife Lalita Jaiswal and two daughters Aditi (16) and Vrishti (6) had come to Pratapgarh (his in-law’s home). The family hired a three-wheeler and were moving towards Kunda when the vehicle overturned. Mahesh was first rushed to Allahabad with head injury, then to a private hospital in Lucknow, where his condition deteriorated.

His organs were retrieved by a surgical team headed by Dr Abhijit Chandra and comprising Dr Vivek, Dr Manmeet, Dr Parvez, Dr Pradeep Joshi, Dr Saket Kumar, Dr Nikhil, Dr Rakesh and Dr Rahul in an operation that started at 2:30pm on Sunday.

“The family was counselled at the private hospital and the patient was shifted for organ donation to Shatabdi hospital on Saturday night. The wife gave the consent and she full support of the rest of the family,” said Peeyush Shrivastava, transplant co-ordinator at KGMU, who counselled the family along with Kshtiz Verma and socialogist Ashwini Singh.

Mahesh’s kidney were delivered to SGPGI and his corneas were preserved at KGMU’s eye bank making it the 21st organ donation at the medical university.

The green corridor formed for liver transportation made way for the ambulance to reach airport in 21 minutes at 4:55pm with 40 traffic personnel managing the route between KGMU, GPO, Cantt, Arjunganj, Shaheed Path and Amausi.

Fog causes highway pileup in Romania: 3 dead, 57 injured

5th November 2016

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Heavy fog caused a huge pileup Saturday on a major highway in Romania, leaving three people dead and 57 injured in what authorities said was the worst accident ever to hit the busy artery.

(1 of 2) A damaged car at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident on the A2 highway, some 40 Km (25 miles) east of Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Authorities say at least 3 died and dozens more were injured in the pileup on a highway in foggy weather.

Twenty-nine vehicles including two small buses and a truck slammed into each other Saturday morning on the main A2 highway that runs from Bucharest, the capital, to the Black Sea coast in eastern Romania, Raed Arafat, a senior interior ministry official, told The Associated Press.

The accident occurred 67 kilometers (42 miles) east of Bucharest. He said 41 people were sent to the hospital and 100 emergency officials, firefighters and medics helped the injured. Arafat said helicopters were unable to land in the area because of the fog and the highway was shut down for several hours.

An unidentified woman in her 20s who was traveling in a small bus that crashed told television cameras: “It was like a horror film…. you could hear the vehicles crashing into each other.” George Grigore, the deputy director of Romania’s traffic police, said the accident was caused by motorists driving too fast for the weather conditions. Visibility was under 20 meters (20 yards) at the time, he said.

Mumbai: Heavy traffic on Eastern Freeway as accident kills 6

The accident occurred around 9 am affecting the busy traffic in the area.

The injured were rushed to Sir JJ Hospital for treatment, but were pronounced dead on arrival. The cause of the incident is being probed by Dongri Police. The taxi was headed to Mumbadevi temple in South Mumbai, when the mishap occurred. Police said that the victims who are all residents of Surat, were going to offer prayers at the temple when the driver lost control leading to the accident. The tax turtled on the road and dashed on the road divider.

Around nine people were travelling in a cab when the accident happened. The occupants of the car include three women, two children and men. The deceased have been identified as Rajkumar Verma (8), Anantra Verma (35), Harkesh Verma (45), Rajshree Verma (35) Ragini Verma (20) and Asha Verma (12). The taxi driver was also injured. Pydhonie traffic police immediately reached the spot of accidne to help the victims out of the wreckage. Relatives of the victims were informed about the accident. The taxi was twoed to Dongri police station.

Education Ministry takes notice of IIU bus traffic accident

5th November 2016

The Ministry of Federal Education, professional and technical training, has taken notice on the International Islamic University (IIU) bus accident that caused the death of one motorcyclist and left 24 students injured.

According to the details, on Wednesday morning, an official bus of the IIU was coming toward the varsity on Kashmir Highway with around 50 female students. A fatal road accident occurred when the bus collided with a motorbike at the G-11 traffic signal on Kashmir Highway.

The female students were critically injured while the motorcyclist died on the spot. After half-a-day long medical treatment the injured students were discharged by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

On Friday, the federal education ministry came into action and directed a precise investigation into the incident. “The ministry asked the administration of the university to properly investigate the incident and take a firm action accordingly to avert such incidents in the future,” sated the ministry’s media wing.

Life is precious, so we should be more vigilant and careful in the protecting the lives of those for whom we are responsible, it added. The ministry has also directed the university administration to send s “thorough report” to the ministry (after a complete probe in the matter).

The ministry did not explain the time frame in the official statement. However, when contacted, the media coordinator, Sana Hamid, said that “no time frame as such Just asked to submit the matter on an earlier basis”.

Both the ministry and the IIU are probing the exact causes of the incident. However, well informed sources in the varsity and the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) said that the IIU bus driver was responsible for the accident as he tried to cross the red-light of the signal and collided with the motorcyclist who was riding on the right as his side signal was open. The IIUI bus driver lost control of the vehicle and rammed it into footpath while trying to overtake another bus, they further added.

The IIU Rector, Masoom Yasinzai, told Daily Times that he had devised a committee to probe into the matter and asked for submitting the final report till Monday (November 7).

UK: 17 foreign truckers using their phones at 50mph. The law MUST be toughened

2nd November 2016

24 Hours Jail, SR 15,000 Fine for using Mobile Phone while Driving

2nd November 2016

The traffic accident rate in Saudi Arabia is very high. 24 out of 100,000 people die every year due to traffic accidents. If you take into consideration the total population of Saudi Arabia i.e. 30 million, 7,200 people die on road every year. It is an alarming figure, isn’t it? I personally believe that most of the accidents take place due to use of mobile phone by the driver while driving.

Realizing this fact, Saudi Government has approved changes in traffic law according to which drivers using mobile phone will be jailed for 24 hours. If a driver uses cell phone while driving, it increases the chances of accident by at least 10 times. As per my personal experience, I observe every third driver talking on mobile phone or using it for chatting while driving. This behavior of drivers must be condemned at every level. There should be seminars at organizational and community levels enlightening the importance of defensive and careful driving.

Yes, Saudi Government has intervened into the critical situation by bringing new legislations about the jail term and heavy fine to the drivers caught using cell phone while
driving. But there is a big question mark on the word “CAUGHT”. This punishment has already been implemented. Col. Abdulaziz AlLuhaidan, head of the commission for the development of traffic bodies made the announcement that 60 people have already been penalized last month.

People who are caught using mobile phones while travelling will be sent a message on their registered mobile phone number (? – Ed). If they don’t report to the traffic police, second message followed by the third message will be sent to them. They have to report to the traffic police department to spend 24 hours in Jail. If they don’t report to the traffic police department even after receiving 3 messages from traffic police department, all their
MOI services will be cancelled.

Ministry of Interior has stated that they have already cancelled the services of many expatriates and citizens living in Saudi Arabia. They are not allowed to pay the fine using ATM machines or Internet Banking. They will have to appear to the Traffic Police Department and pay the fine there. Following penalties are imposed if someone is caught using mobile phone while driving.
1. SR 500 and 24 hours Jail if caught for the first time
2. SR 1,500 and 24 hours Jail if caught second time
3. SR 15,000, 24 hours Jail and car will be confiscated by traffic
police for 30 days if caught third time

Few months ago, traffic police implemented a new rule according to which “Crossing Red light results in 24 Hours Jail”. When traffic police started following the violators, violation rate fell down significantly. I am sure, if our traffic police start taking active action against this violation as well, the accident rate will fall significantly in Saudi Arabia. If you really want to discourage the use of mobile phone while driving in Saudi Arabia, you need to take two steps. Create awareness among the youngsters and punish the violators. Just punishing the violators will not serve the objectives unless general public realizes itself about the importance of safe driving.

UK: Lorry driver jailed over four-death A34 crash

31st October 2016Image copyrightFAMILY HANDOUT Image captionTracy Houghton, left, her son Ethan, stepdaughter Aimee Goldsmith and her second son Josh died in the eight-vehicle collision on the A34 near Chieveley

A lorry driver who hit and killed a mother and three children while using his phone has been jailed for 10 years. Tomasz Kroker smashed into Tracy Houghton’s car, which had her sons, Ethan, 13, and Joshua, 11, inside, and her partner’s daughter, Aimee Goldsmith, 11.

Judge Maura McGowan said his attention had been so poor he “might as well have had his eyes closed”. Kroker was scrolling through music selections at the time of the crash. Kate Goldsmith, whose daughter Aimee died, said Kroker had turned his lorry into a “lethal weapon” by using his mobile phone while driving at 50mph.

She said the sentence “did not do justice” to the crime committed.

Speaking outside Reading Crown Court, she said: “The 10-year sentence will not ease our pain and suffering, nor do we believe it will send a strong enough message to those who lack the self-restraint to not use a mobile phone when driving.”

Image copyrightINSImage captionThe court heard Tomasz Kroker was distracted by using a mobile phone at the wheel of his lorry. Some family members left the court as the prosecution began to show photos of the crash scene and video from the lorry’s cab camera. Others were reduced to tears as video of the fatal collision on the A34 near Newbury, Berkshire, in August was shown.

Less than a second before the impact, an onboard camera showed Kroker, originally from Poland, “looking up with sudden horror on his face…..it was too late to take any avoiding action,” the court heard.

He hit one car, flipping it onto its back and down an embankment, leaving its driver with injuries including a broken back.Image captionKroker’s truck ploughed into a stationary queue of two lorries and four smaller vehicles which were stuck behind a slow-moving articulated lorry

A van which was next in the queue of stationary traffic was driven forward “like a battering ram”, the court heard.

The car in which Ms Houghton, 45, and her three children were travelling in was pushed under a lorry, compressing it to a third of its normal size, the court was told.

Kroker, from Trajan Walk, Andover, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to four counts of causing death by dangerous driving on 10 October.

Bus and tanker truck collide in Brazil killing 20

SAO PAULO (AP) — Officials say a bus and a tanker truck filled with milk burst into flames when they collided in southern Brazil, killing 20 people and injuring at least 10.

Fire department official Fernando Cesar Bettaro says the accident occurred early Monday near Cafezal do Sul in Parana state. He says the truck driver and 18 passengers on the bus burned to death. One passenger died of a heart attack shortly after the accident.

Most of the 30 passengers were headed to a public hospital for cataract surgeries. Bettaro says the cause of the accident is being investigated.

29% drop in jumping red light in Abu Dhabi

Tuesday, Oct 25, 2016

Abu Dhabi: Traffic accidents caused by jumping the red light at intersections have gone down by 29 per cent in Abu Dhabi during the eight months from January 1 to August 31, compared with the same time last year.

About 6,350 vehicles were caught jumping the red light during this period. “The drop in traffic accidents caused by jumping red lights at intersections is due to the installation of smart and modern control systems and advanced traffic control cameras at intersections,” said Brigadier Ali Khalfan Al Daheri, general manager of central operations at Abu Dhabi Police.

Jumping the red signal is classified among dangerous offences. The offenders’ licence is confiscated for 15 days and a Dh800 fine is imposed. He or she gets eight black points also. Therefore, motorists should be very cautious and slow down at intersections for their own safety and safety of others, he added.

Advanced traffic control cameras use infrared technology and cover five lanes on each side of the road.

Apart from catching motorists jumping the red light, the cameras also cover pedestrian crossings, and other violations such as overtaking at intersections, speeding and sudden changing of lanes, etc, Brig Al Daheri pointed out.

Brigadier Al Daheri called on motorists, especially youth, to abide by traffic laws and avoid speeding at intersections.

Al Daheri also warned motorists against tailgating [not leaving a safe distance between cars] and speeding to cross the signal when it turns from green to yellow, as well as being distracted by using the phone while driving, which can result in fatal traffic accidents.

13 die 30 injured in California tour bus crash

24th October 2016

Thirteen people have been killed and more than 30 injured in southern California after a tour bus ran into the back of a lorry, media reports say. Most of the passengers are reported to be from Latin America.

The crash happened on Interstate 10 close to the resort town of Palm Springs in the early hours of Sunday morning. Investigators are examining the cause of the crash, which happened as the bus was bound for Los Angeles.

Rescuers used ladders to climb into the bus windows to remove bodies. Five of the injured passengers are in critical condition.

Image copyrightEPAImage captionThe lorry involved in the accident was also extensively damagedImage copyrightREUTERSImage captionThe front of the bus was severely mangledImage copyrightREUTERSImage captionA clear-up operation has now begun at the crash site

The Los Angeles Times described the crash as the deadliest in California for several decades. It said that the bus careered into the rear of the truck at high speed, mangling the front third of the bus. Most of those who died were apparently at the front of the bus, the newspaper reported. The driver was among the fatalities.

Officials quoted by the paper said that identifying the victims could take days, because some were not carrying identity cards or had lost their belongings when they were taken to hospital. They have warned that it may not be possible to determine exactly why the accident happened because of the driver’s death.

Investigators will assess whether he might have fallen asleep or had a heart attack, in addition to determining if there was a mechanical failure or some other kind of emergency. The westbound lanes of the interstate were closed near the crash site but are now reported to have been reopened.

According to the Desert Sun newspaper, the tour bus, run by US Holiday, was coming from Red Earth Casino, near Salton City in California. The small Los Angeles-based company, runs trips to casinos in California and Las Vegas. The driver of the bus was one of the owners of the tour company.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records show the company had one vehicle and one driver. According to the data the company held a satisfactory safety rating and had not been in a crash for two years.

Image copyrightAPImage captionThe cause of the crash is still unknown

Finland: 29 killed in September

FTimes Report, Oct 23 2016

File Photo – Lehtikuva.

At least 19 persons were killed and 626 others injured in road traffic accidents in September, according to preliminary data of Statistics Finland.

A total of 497 accidents involving personal injury happened in road traffic in the month.

The number of persons killed was three lower and that of persons injured 47 higher than in September 2015, the statistics show.

Of the persons who were killed, eight travelled by passenger car, one by moped and two by motorcycle.

Pedestrians killed in road traffic accidents numbered five and cyclists one. In addition, two other road users were killed. Among those who died, 17 were men and two were women.

The number of persons killed was 28 lower and that of persons injured 293 lower than in the corresponding period of 2015. Of the persons who were killed, 108 travelled by passenger car, eight by van, 14 by motorcycle, four by moped and four by lorry.

Road safety and road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia

A systematic review of existing evidence

Objectives: To identify the changing trends and crucial preventive approaches to road traffic accidents (RTAs) adopted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) over the last 2.5 decades, and to analyze aspects previously overlooked.

Methods: This systematic review was based on evidence of RTAs in KSA. All articles published during the last 25 years on road traffic accident in KSA were analyzed. This study was carried out from December 2013 to May 2014 in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, KSA

Results: Road traffic accidents accounted for 83.4% of all trauma admissions in 1984-1989, and no such overall trend was studied thereafter. The most frequently injured body regions as reported in the latest studies were head and neck, followed by upper and lower extremities, which was found to be opposite to that of the studies reported earlier. Hospital data showed an 8% non-significant increase in road accident mortalities in contrast to police records of a 27% significant reduction during the years 2005-2010. Excessive speeding was the most common cause reported in all recent and past studies.

Parents of a teenager who caused a fatal road crash in Belgium are to face charges for failing to teach their son how to behave and respect the law

18 October 2016

The parents of a 17-year-old boy who smashed a car killing his friend who had allowed him drive are facing prosecution for failing to teach him the difference between right and wrong.

Jordy Kinoo from Kruiseke, eastern Belgium managed to scramble free of the car after he crashed through a concrete pole and rolled the Citroen onto its roof. Niels Forrest, pictured, died after he gave the keys of his car to a 17-year-old Jordy Kinoo who smashed the vehicle into a lamp post and rolled the Citroen C2 onto its roof in May 2015

Jordy Kinoo, pictured, was speeding in the car when he lost control and crashed into a pole. Kinoo, pictured, was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence, fined €1,200 and banned from driving for two years with the final 12 months suspended by a court in Flanders

A court in Flanders heard that Forrest had given the teenager the keys of his car on several previous occasions before the fatal smash in May 2015. Eyewitnesses said the car was speeding along the road which had been closed to traffic when the youngster lost control of the Citroen C2.

The accident happened near Wervik in Belgium near the border with France

However, his parents now face prosecution for failing to teach him the difference between right and wrong. In court at Ypres, the lawyer for the parents Kinoo claimed that the car’s owner was responsible for the crash as he handed over the ignition keys knowing their son had not passed a driving test.

But the judge ruled that the parents of the driver were also partly responsible for the accident because they had failed in their duty as citizens to teach their son to respect the law.

They will now have to appear in court on February 20.

Rio’s Centro Shows Biggest Decrease in Traffic Accidents

A new study shows traffic accidents greatly reduced throughout Rio de Janeiro, with the biggest decrease seen in Centro, a 30.5 percent decline.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to a recent study of traffic accidents throughout Rio de Janeiro, from 2008 to 2015, Rio’s business hub, Centro, has seen the biggest decrease in traffic accidents with a 30.5 percent decline. Government officials attribute the decrease to adjustments in traffic signaling and the creation of new pedestrian crossings as part of the city’s Passos Seguros (Safe Steps) program.The results were recorded in the city government’s study, Estudo de Segurança de Pedestres e Plano de Ação (Study of Pedestrian Safety and Action Plan), published in partnership with the international consulting group, Bloomberg Associates.According to the study, Centro recorded the biggest drop in traffic accidents in the seven-year period at 30.5 percent, followed closely by Rio’s Zona Sul (South Zone) with a 28.7 percent decline, and Zona Oeste (West Zone) including the Bangu region with a 26.4 percent drop. Barra da Tijuca saw a 25.1 percent drop in traffic accidents and Rio’s Zona Norte (North Zone) recorded a 24.7 percent decline.Government officials attributed the decreases throughout the city to the recently installed Passos Seguros program. The pedestrian safety program, started in April 2015, brought together representatives from several city agencies: Transportation (SMTR), Public Order (Seop), Conservation, Operations, and the Municipal Guards, along with civil society organizations and private consultants to create high impact interventions to improve road safety for those most vulnerable, particularly pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation riders.Passos Seguros, as detailed in the study, is a two-phase program. Phase One, started in April 2015 and lasted until December 2015. It included a series of visits by the representatives to the locations with the highest accident rates. Following an analysis of these areas, road safety projects were started to immediately mitigate the situation at these locations.These included improving road signs and traffic lights, adding electronic monitoring equipment, reducing speed limits, installing speed bumps and pedestrian lanes. In total, over forty new traffic signals, 24 new signs, and 33 new lanes and pedestrian islands were added during Phase One.Phase Two of Passos Seguros, which is still ongoing, began immediately after the completion of Phase One and included the run up to the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics. It concentrated on six specific areas within the Centro neighborhood.The group’s focus on Centro was due to the significant changes to the area such as the Rio 450 Tunnel, the revitalized Port Zone, and the new light rail public transportation system, the VLT. The road safety projects implemented in Phase Two have targeted cyclists and pedestrians, and have included new signs, traffic signals, pedestrian walkways, as well as traffic agents to advise drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.In Centro, the study pointed out there is still a need to strengthen road safety at six major intersections: Rua Comandante Garcia Pires, Praça Marechal Hermes and Rua General Luis Mendes de Morais; Avenida Rio Branco and Rua Visconde de Inhauma; Avenida Presidente Vargas and Avenida Rio Branco; Avenida Rio Branco and Rua da Assembleia; Avenida Rio Branco, Avenida Nilo Peçanha and Rua da Carioca; and Avenida Rio Branco, Avenida Presidente Wilson and Avenida Beira Mar.

Papua NG: Accidents claim two lives along Highlands Highway

By ZACHERY PER
TWO traffic accidents along the Daulo Pass section of Highlands Highway in Eastern Highlands have claimed two lives within three days. Provincial police commander Supt Alex N’Drasal warned truck drivers and people living along the highway to exercise caution and have respect and understanding.

Reports from Asaro Highway patrol commander Sergeant David Kilo confirmed the first accident occurred at Daulo Pass where a large truck ran over a crew member of a lighter truck, killing him instantly.

Youths at Finoku village near Watabung station patched up pot holes and set up a road block to collect money from passing vehicles.When the light truck from Jiwaka carrying fruit wine alcoholic drinks passed through, the youths hopped onto the back of the truck and looted some of its contents.

The truck driver and crew stopped beside the large truck and expressed their frustration. The driver of the large truck then tried to move on and ran over the crew. The driver of the large truck voluntarily surrendered to police.

The second accident occurred near Asaro government station last Wednesday where a young man identified as Steven Mai was killed and a female companion identified as Evelyn Mai from Kandep, Enga, was seriously injured. The truck was reportedly traveling at high speed when it ran off the road and rammed into a tree.

Men cause 90 percent of Dubai’s traffic accidents

The next time you hear a man crack a joke about women drivers in Dubai, shut them right up before they get the words out of their mouth.

Ninety percent of reported traffic accidents are caused by men in Dubai, according to a study based on 2015 Dubai Police statistics. Yes. Women are responsible for only 10 percent of driving accidents in the emirate.

Still, not to throw men entirely under the bus (no pun intended) the study points out that 70 percent of Dubai’s residents are men, so they are likely over-represented on the roads.

The study also revealed that driving during the day is safer than the night-time, despite the fact that more cars are on the road during daylight and working hours. In 2015, more accidents occurred on Thursday than on other days, although accident occurrences were relatively evenly spread throughout the week.

19 killed, 73 injured in traffic accidents in East during holidays

Passengers travel on the roof of a bus along the Sardi-Damkibas road in Nawalparasi.POST PHOTO: MADHAV ARYAL

Oct 14, 2016- At least 19 people were killed and 73 others were injured in road accidents in the eastern region during the Dashain holidays.

According to the Regional Traffic Police in Itahari, the accidents had occurred in 65 places of Morang, Sunsari, Udayapur, Siraha, Jhapa, Shankhuwasabha, Panchthar, Saptari and Ilam districts.

Of the 73 people injured in these accidents, 36 are in critical condition, police said.
During last year’s Dashain holidays, 18 people were killed in 105 traffic accidents that were reported in the region.

Drunk driving and carrying passengers beyond the vehicle’s capacity are often the main reasons behind road accidents that take place during the festival holidays.
2 dead in Dhading, Nawalparasi

Two persons died in road accidents in Dhading and Nawalparasi on Wednesday and Thursday. An Armed Police Force personnel was killed when two motorcycles collided in Baireni, Dhading, on Thursday. Police said APF Inspector Dhurba Thapa was riding pillion in his son’s motorcycle when they crashed with another motorcycle coming from the opposite direction. Thapa died in the incident. Police have detained the rider of another motorcycle, who was identified as Praladh Subedi.

In Nawalparasi, 40-year-old Narayani Adhikari of Parsauni-2 died when a car and bus crashed head-on at Lokaha along the Mahendra Highway. In Myagdi, at least 13 people were injured in a jeep accident at Beni Municipality-1. Police said the jeep en route to Baglung from Beni had fallen off a sharp bend of the road. The injured people are undergoing treatment at Baglung-based hospital, said police.

Following the 7.2 percent jump in traffic fatalities in 2015, when 35,092 deaths were reported, it was made clear by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that we’ve hit a crisis in road traffic accidents. But this upward trend still seems to be accelerating – and fast.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) just reported that in the first half of 2016, there were 17,775 driving-related deaths, up from 16,100 in the same period last year. This means that the fatality rate on U.S. roads has climbed to 10.4 percent, costing an estimated $205 Billion.

At this point, Americans are falling victim to fatal vehicle accidents at the rate of 2 loaded 747s crashing every week. And these victims include all types of road users, from trucks to pedestrians. But while federal officials stress the gravity of this reality, there is still hope for improvement in the future.

Why Are Traffic Death Rates Still Escalating Out of Control? As these 2016 findings are still fairly new, officials haven’t yet identified a specific cause for the 10.4 percent increase in traffic deaths.

Indeed, this surge seems to defy all the recent effort put into road safety. Cars are built safer and more durable than ever before, and increasingly utilize technologies such ascollision detection. Roadways have been improved. Police are stamping down on drunk driving: the leading cause of serious crashes.

But as the economy recovers and unemployment rates lessen, Americans are driving more than ever before. In the first half of this year, there was a correlation between the number of traffic deaths and miles driven. About 1.5 trillion miles were covered: a 3.3 percent increase from last year. And more driving means more opportunity for people to take unnecessary risks – for example, young people driving to and from nights out in which they have been drinking alcohol.

Authorities have also cited vehicle defects as part of the problem, but these only account for roughly 5 percent of traffic deaths. The other 95 percent is down to human negligence such as speeding, alcohol or drug impairment, and distraction. Distracted driving, for example, causes 1 in 9 deaths on the road. The use of mobile devices behind the wheel has become a serious issue, with drivers admitting to everything from texting while driving to playing Pokémon GO.

Even when the 2015 statistics were released, head of the NHTSA Mark Rosekind remarked that it was “a wake-up call.” Now, he says, “We have an immediate crisis on our hands, and we also have a long-term challenge.”

The Long, Hard Road to Zero: The latest motor vehicle accident figures were released in conjunction with the announcement of a new, somewhat ambitious, initiative: “Road to Zero.”

As impossible as it sounds, the Department of Transportation hopes to completely eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries in the U.S. by 2046.

The campaign is dedicating $1 Million a year for the next 3 years to short-term resolutions, including increasing awareness of seatbelt safety. This could make a surprising difference, considering around half of drivers and passengers killed in crashes last year were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of their fatal crash. Then, the hope is that in the long term, self-driving cars will vastly improve from where they are now. Such improvement might make it possible to bring an end to traffic fatalities, since human error is responsible for so many crashes.

The government is also hoping to invest in technology that helps officials to better interpret crash data, following patterns such as market trends and climate change to see how they might affect the fatality rate.

Clearly, the situation had to hit rock bottom to spur initiatives such as the “Road to Zero” into action. But at least significant steps are now being taken to make technology a solution, rather than the enemy. Careless driving has become too large of a problem to ignore. But without the potential for human mistakes to be made, the reversal of serious incidents on our roads could be staggering.

Jordan: ‘Higher death toll from traffic accidents expected this year’

542 people dead in 8,000 accidents recorded in first nine months

By Sawsan Tabazah 11th October 2016A car involved in a traffic accident on the Salt road in early August (Photo courtesy of Amen FM)

AMMAN — The death toll in traffic accidents is expected to rise by around 3 per cent in 2016, compared to the previous year, the Central Traffic Department (CTD) said on Monday.

A total of 542 people died in around 8,000 accidents during the first nine months of 2016, said CTD Director Col. Yaser Harahsheh.

There were also 1,270 critical injuries and 12,000 minor injuries in the same period, he told The Jordan Times.

During 2015, there were 608 deaths in 9,712 accidents, as well as 2,021 critical injuries and 12,000 minor injuries, according to the CTD.

This year’s death toll is expected to be higher because of four deadly accidents, including a bus accident in Mudawara in which 19 Palestinian pilgrims were killed and another bus accident in Mafraq in which seven Egyptians died, Harahsheh said. Deadly accidents on the Desert Road and Al Ardah Road happen because of drivers’ mistakes, the official said, and not because the roads need fixing or expanding. He added that “99 per cent of the accidents are caused by human errors”.

Speed, sudden lane changes and poor handling of curves in the road are the main causes of accidents, Harahsheh noted, as well as tailgating and using phones while driving.

Amman and Irbid witnessed the highest number of accidents, he said, adding that the number of road tragedies increases during summer because of the rise in the number of cars on the Kingdom’s roads, as tourists and expatriates visit.

Around 15 to 20 per cent of the accidents in the summer involved non-Jordanian vehicles, since 500,000 vehicles entered the Kingdom, Harahsheh noted.

The number of accidents involving non-Jordanian vehicles decreased since the Public Security Department (PSD), the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and insurance companies signed an agreement two years ago.

Under the agreement, motorists must pay traffic tickets before leaving the country, Harasheh said, explaining that the regulation resulted in fewer accidents as drivers are aware that if they commit violations they will have to pay for the traffic tickets.

GAM on Sunday launched an initiative to reduce the number of traffic accidents, in cooperation with the PSD and a number of private companies.“Enough… your soul is a keepsake” initiative is part of a national strategy to reduce traffic accidents in the Kingdom. The initiative focuses on encouraging drivers to abide by traffic signs, respect the right of way and commit to speed limits.

The centers which were launched last March are distributed between Aleppo city, Dar Izzet, al-Atarib, Orm al-Kubra, and Izaz in efforts to enforce social police slogan.

Manger of media office in Aleppo police Malek Abdul Hadi told Zaman al-Wasl, “there is a plan to start other centers”, pointing out these centers came in response to local councils’ requests in towns and cities which suffer traffic jam in liberated areas. 275 record were documented with traffic accidents in Aleppo province since January 2016 until September 2016 and 25 deaths were documented mostly men and 5 children.

He added that launching these centers secures employment opportunities for defected regime personnel especially those who were specialized with experience in this field in addition to serving people, raising awareness, and guide them to commit to traffic guidelines.

The mission of these centers are manifested in “arresting drivers or cars and motorcycles and tracking down wanted via traffic points on roads and guide the population through dangerous roads those observed by warplanes, snipers as well as roads on which there are military operations to make sure they stay safe.”

Each center is headed by an officer subordinate to Free police and issue orders on daily basis for patrols. The patrols start their work in two or 3 groups depending on needs. There are shifts of personnel every 8 hours. The patrol consists of 4 personnel. In the traffic point, there is a police to organize traffic and drivers of 4 motorcycles who tour the main roads in case or urgency or needs.

He added that most traffic accidents in Aleppo is a result of clash between cars and motorcycles adding that 15 motorcycles clashed with cars. The reasons of the accidents are inattentiveness, high speed and not wearing helmets.

Abdul Hadi pointed out to many challenges that face traffic centers including warplanes bombings and bad roads in addition to absence of organizational discipline for cars’ banners and driving license.

Regarding traffic tickets and how much they enforce the law, he said that there is now ongoing coordination with local councils regarding this issue.

He added that the traffic centers lack a regime of traffic ticketing since the disciplinary actions are taken after accidents when injured are rescued and vehicles moved like all traffic regimes in the world. He indicated that “the patrols have traffic signaling pieces placed in accidents area to guide rest of drivers to slow down to prevent other accidents”.

He pointed out the work of the patrol personnel manifested in drawing map of the accident immediately after it happens and measuring breaks to detect responsibility. They also use experts to estimate material damage for vehicles and when there is an injury a coroner writes a report that gets attached to the record.

He continued saying, “in case of death, medical examination and legal committee are summoned as well as police record writer to present the case to the court of specialty.”

Myanmar: 125 die on expressway this year

Submitted by Eleven 9th October 2016 Writer: Nay Yine & Kyaw Myo

A traffic accident on September 14 on the expressway (Photo-EMG)

Traffic accidents on the Yangon-Mandalay expressway killed 125 people and injured 976 others from January to October 5 this year, according to police.

A press conference was held on October 7 at the Expressway Police Station, which revealed that 579 traffic accidents took place on the expressway during the period.
Police say the accidents were mostly caused by speeding.

“More than 20,000 vehicles used the expressway daily in January and more than 26,000 in September and October. More vehicles mean more accidents,” said Major Yan Naung Win from the station.

But police data showed that the number of accidents caused by express buses on the expressway dropped this year from 47 to 34.

And official data showed the daily number of vehicles using the expressway has increased with 9,500 in 2013, 12,000 in 2014, 14,000 in 2015 and more than 20,000 in 2016.
And traffic accidents killed 113 in 2013, 157 in 2014 and 124 in 2015, the data said.

Air pollution could be to blame for hundreds of traffic accidents, warn researchers

Air pollution could be responsible for hundreds of car accidents a year, according to the London School of Economics.

A study looking a five years of data showed that when levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) rise just one microgramme per cubic metre, the number of collisions rises by two per cent.

Although it might seem that effect could be explained by more traffic on the roads, and therefore more pollution and more accidents, the researchers found that the increase remained even when adjusting for the extra traffic. Instead, they believe that the toxic air impairs driver fitness, while watery eyes and an itchy nose could also be distracting for motorists.

A recent study found that air pollution inside a car can be more than double that on the outside because the NO2 builds up in a small space. Lead researcher Lutz Sager of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the LSE said: “Although it has already been shown that air pollution adversely affects human health and the ability to carry out mental tasks, this is the first published study that assesses the impact on road safety.

“The analysis identifies a causal effect of air pollution on road accidents, but I can only speculate about the cause of the link. “My main theory is that air pollution impairs drivers’ fitness. However, other explanations are possible such as air pollution causing physical distractions, perhaps an itching nose, or limiting visibility.”

More accidents are caused during periods of high air pollution: Air pollution can result from many different toxins, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, small particulate matter and ozone. But it was NO2 which was found to have the biggest impact.

Mr Sager, a postdoctoral candidate, divided the UK into a grid of 32 areas each covering about 4784 square miles (7700 sq km) and mapped accidents to the level of air pollution between 2009 and 2014 provided by the Department for the Environment (Defra)

He found a rise in the concentration of nitrogen dioxide of just one microgramme per cubic metre above the daily average is sufficient to increase the average number of accidents each day by two per cent, with the biggest effect occurring in cities. Mr Sager calculated that in the area containing west London, which suffers from some of the highest levels of air pollution, a cut of about 30 per cent in the concentration of NO2 could reduce the number of road accidents every day by almost 5 per cent. Levels of NO2 in polluted areas of London can reach beyond 97 microgrammes per cubic metre on average.

There are around 150,000 collisions in which someone is injured in Britain every year so preventing just two per cent of crashes could avert thousands of accidents. Mr Sager added: “Whatever the exact mechanisms responsible, the robust finding of a significant effect of air quality on road safety is important given the high cost of road traffic accidents through damage to vehicles and deaths and injuries to people every day.

“Although this analysis has used data for the United Kingdom, I think my findings are relevant to other parts of the world. These additional costs from traffic accidents strengthen the case for reducing air pollution, particularly in congested cities. “My analysis suggests that the causal effect of air pollution on road traffic accidents measured in this study more likely stems from nitrogen dioxide or other pollutant gases rather than particulate matter.”

However other experts were more sceptical about the link between airpollution and accidents. AA president Edmund King said: “If you think about areas which are high in air pollution they are a lot busier, with taxis and buses and lorries and where you have a greater mix of traffic you tend to have more accidents. “It would be hard to tease apart whether a crash is caused by a driver wiping his eyes because of pollution or the type of traffic which is to blame.

“If you look at Mumbai and New Delhi where you have some of the worst air pollution, yes you have far more accidents, but it is also far more chaotic. “So I think this research may be far-fetched as I think it would be very difficult to prove that a driver’s fitness is impaired by pollution.”

The results of the study are published today as a working paper, and will be submitted for peer review in the coming weeks.

Saigon reports rise in traffic fatalities

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Officials say 607 city residents perished in traffic accidents during the first nine months of 2016.

Ho Chi Minh City reported a significant rise in traffic accidents and related deaths in the first nine months of this year, a problem one official blamed on an excess of vehicles and drunk drivers.

The city’s transportation department says traffic accidents increased nearly 9 percent from a year ago to 2,919 between January and September. Fatalities rose 15.4 percent to 607 – an average of two deaths per day- while the number of reported injuries increased 1.5 percent to 2,377.

Nguyen Ngoc Tuong from the city’s Traffic Safety Department claimed the figures represented the first such increase after eight straight years of decline.

He blamed the sudden surge on drunk driving and the rapid addition of private vehicles that have exceeded the capacity of the municipal infrastructure.

A recent survey by the World Health Organization and Vietnam’s Ministry of Health found 77 percent of men and 11 percent of women in Vietnam drink alcohol.

The joint survey further reported that 44 percent of men had engaged in hazardous drinking within a month of the survey. Researchers defined hazardous drinking as over 180 milliliters of hard liquor or over six cans of beer in one sitting. Half of the hazardous drinking respondents further reported having operated a vehicle within two hours of finishing their last drink.

Ho Chi Minh City registers nearly 4,200 new cars and 9,000 new motorbikes, every month.

Buses provide the only means of public transportation, but ridership has fallen amid a lack of investment.

Work is currently underway on the city’s first subway, but the first rail line linking the city’s downtown to District 9 will begin operating in 2018, assuming work proceeds as planned.

Moments from death: Student, 22, in a car crash coma WIGGLED her toe to stop doctors turning off her life-support machine

Sam Hemming lost her ear and broke her neck after car flipped over on M6

22-year-old was put in a coma and her parents told to prepare for the worst

After 19 days doctors advised her family to switch off her life-support

But moments before, she ‘wiggled her big toe’ and medics kept her alive

Despite suffering brain damage, she has since learnt to walk and talk again

30th September 2016

A student left in a coma following a horrific car crash has been dubbed a ‘walking miracle’ after she wiggled her toe moments before doctors were about to turn off her life-support machine.

Sam Hemming suffered devastating head injuries when the car she was travelling in with her boyfriend flipped over on the M6 – leaving her brain dead and with ‘no hope of recovery’.

The impact of the collision caused her head to smash through the window and hit the central reservation, taking her left ear off and breaking four bones in her neck.

But despite her injuries, the 22-year-old law graduate defied doctors and fought back from the brink of death.

Sam Hemming pictured while in critical care in July. She has now been dubbed a ‘walking miracle’ after she wiggled her toe moments before doctors turned off her life-support

Sam was travelling in the car with her boyfriend Tom Curtis (pictured together before the crash) when they crashed on the M6 on July 20.

The 22-year-old with her mother Carol – who had been told by doctors to prepare for the worst

Sam was airlifted to hospital where surgeons operated on her for six hours before placing her in a medically-induced coma.

Some 19 days later doctors advised her devastated parents to prepare for the worst and to switch off her life-support machine after she was confirmed brain dead.

Carol said her daughter ‘literally came back from the dead’, adding: ‘Sammy shouldn’t be alive. She suffered the worst injuries anyone could have in a car crash.

‘We gathered in her room and said our farewells. They turned the life support machine off and I screamed.’ But incredibly, Sam ‘wiggled her big toe’ and medics kept her in a controlled coma. Days later she was given a tracheotomy and when her life-support machine was turned off again, she was able to breathe on her own.

Remarkably, just eight weeks later she was deemed well enough to return home in Credenhill, Hereford, where she now lives with Carol and dad Jason, 43.

Thai women take dip in the road in pothole protest

29th September 2016

Image copyrightHA GAREANG / FACEBOOK

What is the best way to draw attention to an unrepaired road in your neighbourhood?

Write a letter to the authorities? Complain on social media? Or protest by sitting in the offending pothole and taking a bath? Well, the latter is exactly what a Bangkok-based model called Palm decided to do. She was fed up with the condition of the roads on her route to her relatives in the Mae Ramat district in Thailand’s Tak province. So she donned a shower cap and took a ‘protest bath’ in one of the holes that are causing ongoing problems and accidents.

Image copyrightHA GAREANG / FACEBOOK

Photos of the event have been widely shared across social media in Thailand and China. They have inspired others to copy her actions to draw attention to the state of their local roads.

The woman pictured below in a yellow dress appears to have aped Palm’s protest in Chaiyaphum one of the provinces in north east Thailand.

Image copyrightSINOVISION

A group of grandmothers in Khon Kaen Province, also in north east Thailand, followed suit with a mass bathe-in.

Image copyrightWEIBOImage copyrightWEIBO

They complained that the government hadn’t repaired the road for the last 30 years. But they have now been promised that the road will be repaired after the rainy season. Palm’s pothole protest also appears to have made a difference. According to reports the governor of Tak Province ordered the relevant agencies to repair the road without delay, and new photos posted on Facebook appear to confirm that those repairs are underway.

Image copyrightFACEBOOK

The woman in the yellow dress has also reportedly been promised that action will result from her watery wallow.

However, some are nor prepared to wait around for officialdom to make good on its promises. A retired German engineer, Peter Goman, has won huge admiration on social media after his Thai wife, Kusuma Namwon, posted pictures of him getting stuck in to help repair roads near their home in Buriram province. “Motorcyclists would occasionally fall into the holes, and the people in the houses would rush to them,” Kusuma reportedly said. In addition to helping volunteers fix the road, the couple also contributed to the cost of materials along with other volunteers.

Image copyrightKUSUMA NAMWONGImage caption‘Mr Peter’ at work

Many observers have been particularly struck by a 76-year-old foreigner mucking in to help. The Facebook post of “Mr Peter” at work has been shared more than 40,000 times and a video on YouTube has been watched more than 60,000 times. “Very awesome,” was a typical comment.

But it’s not just Thailand which suffers from potholes. Getting them fixed in a timely fashion seems to be a global problem. Last year in Bangalore, an Indian artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy sculpted a life-size crocodile in one road crater after becoming frustrated that potholes were not being repaired by authorities there.

Image copyrightAFP

And earlier this year one self-styled “road artist” had a more controversial way of drawing attention to the state of the roads in his area of north west England. He decided to graffiti pictures of penises around potholes in an attempt to get the local authority to act. Bury Council called the drawings “obscene”, “stupid” and “insulting”. It insisted “painting obscenities around potholes will not get them repaired any quicker, but simply waste valuable time and resources”.

Meanwhile “guerilla gardener”, Steven Wheen has found another way to highlight the problems of potholes. He’s been filling London’s potholes with tiny garden displays for the past six years.

Road safety advert ‘blames cyclists for being RUN OVER by lorries’: Controversial ad shows HGV overtaking a man on a bike and then driving into him – but states that it was his fault for not ‘holding back’

Twitter users have blasted the campaign for ‘blaming’ cyclists for crashes

The 45-second advert is titled ‘Things you shouldn’t get caught between’

Radio 2 Jeremy Vine criticised the Department for Transport campaign

26 September 2016

Cyclists have hit out at an ‘awful’ and ‘offensive’ road safety campaign that they claim blames them for crashes.

The Department for Transport’s Think! campaign started the controversy after warning cyclists to ‘hang back’ when approaching a left turn next to a lorry. The 45-second advert, titled ‘Things you shouldn’t get caught between’, shows a lorry overtake and then hit a cyclist at a junction.

The 45-second advert ‘Things you shouldn’t get caught between’ shows a lorry overtake a cyclist at a junction (pictured)

The advert tells bike users to ‘hold back’ at junctions to avoid a crash when turning left (pictured). But some cyclists have taken offence to the campaign, which they say puts blame on the cyclist.

‘Unbelievably bad’: Other cyclists joined in the debate on Twitter and many agreed that the advert was misleading about the way accidents happen . Clips of other things you ‘don’t want to get caught between’ are interspersed with the crash footage. They include a boxing match, a man chopping wood and a cowboy gunfight.

BBC Radio 2 presenter and keen cyclist Jeremy Vine took to Twitter to criticise the campaign. He wrote: ‘Truck overtakes cyclist and turns left across him, and this awful road safety advert blames the cyclist. He asked the Think! campiagn Twitter account, ‘Do any of you cycle at all?’, before adding, ‘It also associates cycling with active meat cleavers and that ain’t gonna help get my wife/family on their bikes.’

Other Twitter users have also expressed their outrage at the clip. The footage of the cyclist and lorry is interspersed with clips of other things you ‘don’t want to get caught between’ (pictured)

‘The THINK! road safety campaign is aimed at cyclists, motorists and HGV drivers, and they all have a role to play in improving safety.’

26 killed in road mishaps in August

A total of 508 accidents involving personal injury happened in road traffic in the month. The number of persons killed was 12 lower and that of persons injured 131 lower than in August 2015. Of the persons who were killed, 14 travelled by passenger car, one by moped and three by motorcycle. Pedestrians killed in road traffic accidents numbered two and cyclists five.

In addition, one other road user was killed. Among those who died, 20 were men and six were women as per the data. A total of 3066 road traffic accidents involving personal injury happened in January to August period. In them, 152 persons were killed and 3831 persons injured.

The number of persons killed was 26 lower and that of persons injured 347 lower than in the corresponding period of 2015. Of the persons who were killed, 100 travelled by passenger car, eight by van, 12 by motorcycle, three by moped and four by lorry.

Pedestrians killed numbered 11 and cyclists 10. In addition, four other road users were killed.

Project aims to prevent smartphone-related traffic accidents

September 20, 2016

(Paying people not to be stupid? – Ed)

Credit: Toyota

Toyota Motor, Komeda Co., and KDDI Corporation will begin an initiative on September 20, 2016 by utilizing a smartphone application called Driving Barista. The application is aimed at reducing the number of traffic accidents in Aichi Prefecture which are caused by drivers using their smartphones while driving. This is the first traffic safety initiative in Japan involving a smartphone application, which is to be carried out and jointly promoted by an automobile company, a communication company, and a food and beverage company.

For 13 consecutive years, Aichi Prefecture has had the highest rate of traffic fatalities in Japan. In 2015 alone, there were 44,3691 traffic accidents which resulted in injuries or deaths. Furthermore, there were also 50,101 arrests involving the use of smartphones while driving, and the increase in violations of this nature has also intensified the problem.

This high figure is indicative of the importance to reduce the large number of traffic accidents in the prefecture. In response, ten Nagoya-based media companies have come together to work towards the goal of making the prefecture’s roads safer under the banner of the “AICHI: No Longer the Worst” project, which began on August 2. Toyota and KDDI are also sponsors of this project.

Toyota, Komeda, and KDDI will begin their own joint project in tandem with the Japanese government’s 2016 Autumn Traffic Safety Campaign (September 21-30). The companies will promote traffic safety in Aichi Prefecture through an educational initiative where participation is accessible for all, and can lead to a reduction in traffic accidents.

The Driving Barista application can only be used within Aichi Prefecture. By utilizing the gyro sensor to sense the tilt of the smartphone body, and the GPS to determine the distance driven, this application measures the distance the driver has driven while leaving the smartphone facedown. When the cumulative distance reaches 100 km, the driver can receive a coupon for a cup of blended or iced coffee at a Komeda Coffee Shop.Credit: Toyota

According to one survey, approximately 60% of respondents said they use their smartphones while driving, with approximately half of these respondents keeping only one hand on the steering wheel. Therefore, the companies hope that the new application will raise drivers’ awareness about not using smartphones while driving.

With regards to the initiative, Managing Officer Shuichi Murakami of Toyota said, “In line with contributing to the ultimate goal of achieving zero traffic fatalities and zero traffic accidents, Toyota has implemented automobile safety measures as one of its top priority management concerns. By carrying out a new traffic safety education initiative together with Komeda and KDDI, we hope to further reduce traffic accidents.”

Managing Director Masashi Komanba of Komeda said, “As a company that has been supported by the residents of Aichi Prefecture, we hope to help reduce the number of traffic accidents there through our participation as a provider of great coffee.”

The Director-in-charge of CSR and Environment at KDDI, Akira Dobashi, also stated that, “We have already been carrying out educational activities to prevent the use of smartphones while driving, and we hope that this initiative between the three companies will help solve the problem facing Aichi Prefecture. We developed the Driving Barista smartphone application as a fun way to help prevent traffic accidents. We hope to contribute to accident prevention by providing a new experience for drivers.”

Rep. Peter Pettalia was riding southbound on M-33 in northern Michigan late Monday afternoon when a pickup truck turned left into his lane. His motorcycle broadsided the pickup. Pettalia was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, police said. The driver of the truck, a 59-year-old woman, was not injured, police said.

Pettalia, 61, a Republican from Presque Isle, was an advocate for motorcyclists’ rights and had served the state’s District 106 since he was elected in 2010. In 2012, he voted to repeal universal helmet laws for all motorcycle riders over the age of 20. Michigan is one of 28 states that do not have laws requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

House Speaker Kevin Cotter called his death shocking. “We are all devastated to hear the news today about Rep. Pettalia,” Cotter said. “Pete was a dear friend and longtime colleague who was well-known for his expertise, his hard work, and his love for the great outdoors.”

Pettalia chaired the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and was vice chair of the Financial Services Committee. He is survived by his wife and two grown children.

Officials said none of the passengers have been found and the bus had not been pulled out of water.

PATNA: At least four passengers were killed and over a dozen others are feared dead when a bus fell into a roadside pond in Bihar’s Madhubani district today.

The accident took place at Basaitha chowk under Bennipatti police station in Madhubani, about 50 km from the district headquarters. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Benipatti Nirmala Kumari said four bodies have been fished out so far and search is on for others.

About 65 passengers were on board the bus. Some of them swam to safety while over a dozen are feared to have been killed. The private bus was on way to Sitamarhi from Madhubani when the mishap took place on the state highway.

Meanwhile, in Patna, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed deep sorrow over death of passengers in the bus mishap at Madhubani. The chief minister said in a statement that the reason of the accident was being looked into. He instructed officials to speed up relief and rescue operation. Mr Kumar instructed Revenue minister Madan Mohan Jha and Panchayati Raj minister Kapildeo Kamat to rush to the accident spot.

A team of SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) has reached the mishap site. The chief minister issued instructions to provide all possible assistance to victims of the bus tragedy.

Peshwar: 2 killed, 14 injured in seperate accidents

September 17, 2016

BATKHELA: Two persons, including a woman, died and 14 others sustained injuries in separate traffic accidents here on Friday.

It was learnt that the first incident took place on the Badwan Road in Batkhela where three over-speeding motorcycles collided with each other. As a result one of the pillion riders Zohaib died on the spot while others including Sanaullah, Waseem, Hazrat Sher, Faheem, Asad Khan and Roohullah sustained injuries.

The injured were taken to a hospital in Batkhela.Separately, a woman on board an over-speeding motorcar died when the vehicle skidded off the road and turned turtle in Sakhakot area.

The third incident took place near the Levies post in Sakhahkot where two passenger vehicles collided, injuring seven persons. The injured were identified as driver Sartaj, Ayazullah, Shakirullah, Muhammad Aleem, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Tariq and Majeed Khan. The injured were stated to be relatives.In another incident, an ambulance hit a 70-year-old man identified as Adam Khan near Afghan refugee camp. The injured were taken to a hospital in Dargai.

Japan: Traffic accidents surge at age 7

16th September 2016

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Injuries and deaths involving pedestrians are far more common among 7-year-olds than at any other age, a traffic research institute has found.

Age 7 is when children are in the first and second grades of primary school and increasingly away from their guardians outside the home.

A study by the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis, a Tokyo-based public interest foundation, indicates that accidents increase sharply until children are able to recognize dangerous situations. It was the institute’s first analysis of injuries and deaths by age.

According to the institute, 56,962 people were injured or killed while walking last year. In 2015, the number of injuries and deaths increased starting at age 1, reaching 1,057 at age 6 and peaking at 1,462 at age 7.

The number declined to 1,104 at age 8.

Analyses of data from 2011 to 2014 also found that injuries and deaths peaked at age 7. The institute found several tendencies by examining the data for 7-year-olds more closely, including the fact that 73 percent, or 1,071, of the injuries and deaths occurred during the daytime.

Accidents were twice as common on weekdays as on Saturdays, and 2.5 times more common on weekdays as on Sundays. There were 526 injuries and deaths going to and from school, and 425 occurred when playing or otherwise out of the house.

All of these figures are much higher than those seen at other ages. The analysis indicates that because children are usually accompanied by a guardian until they begin primary school, they are less likely to be involved in accidents. However, once they begin school, they are often on their own going to and from school or when going to play at a friend’s house. They are unable to recognize dangerous situations by themselves, so accidents are more likely to happen.

They gradually learn what is dangerous as they gain experience, causing accidents to decline from age 8. “It’s too late to teach about traffic safety at age 7. We need to prepare them so they can act safely when they start primary school,” a person in charge of the matter at the institute said.

People with children in nursery or kindergarten “should take action early, such as having the child practice walking to school on multiple occasions while watching over them at a slight distance,” the person suggested.

Can India really halve its road deaths?

By Neal RazzellBBC News 15 September 2016

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

India has some of the world’s most dangerous roads. Last year nearly 150,000 people died in traffic accidents, an increase of 50% in the past decade. But the government insists it can halve this figure in two years, while also embarking on one of the biggest road-building programmes the world has ever seen.

For a crash course in India’s car-crash culture, go to Mumbai. There are more accidents here than any other Indian city. You’ll witness a dangerous mix of pedestrians, scooters, cars, buses and lorries jostling through choked junctions. Many ignore both signals and the traffic police. Officers can do little about such rampant law-breaking.”We can catch a maximum of two offenders at a time – maximum,” one shouts at me above the horns and revving engines at one particularly busy junction. “The rest,” he says flicking his wrist, “just go. There are no consequences.”

Mumbai’s commissioner of traffic police, Milind Bharambe, says this will soon end. From his cool office, flanked by monitors with live CCTV feeds of notorious accident spots, he explains how cameras will enforce the law electronically, targeting those who speed and run red lights. Combine that with the recent introduction of stiff new fines and within six months, he promises “a sea change” in driver behaviour.

Image captionMilind Bharambe, Mumbai’s commissioner of traffic police

But bad driving and weak enforcement are only part of the problem. Another aspect of it is the rapidly growing number of vehicles – a new one joins the chaos every 10 seconds. It adds up to almost 9,000 new vehicles a day, or more than three million a year.

This means that the streets are increasingly choked. It’s almost impossible to leave a safe distance between vehicles, and when space does open up, frustrated drivers often respond by putting their foot down.

The problem is perhaps most acute in Mumbai, which is surrounded by water on three sides and has little room to grow. Officials here have in the past responded to the crush of cars by tearing out pavements to make room for more.

“The government still thinks the major issue is ‘How do we move people in cars faster and quicker?'” says Binoy Mascarenhas from the pedestrian advocacy movement, Equal Streets. In reality, he says most journeys are local and, in theory, can be done on foot.

In theory. He grew up in Mumbai, and used to walk to school. His daughter now goes to school in a car because it’s too dangerous to walk. Pavements, where they exist, are often in such a poor state people have to walk on the roads. No wonder then that pedestrians account for 60% of road deaths in Mumbai.

There are dangers outside the city, too.

India’s first expressway, between the cities of Mumbai and Pune, opened in 2002. It has three wide lanes and room to move at high speed – a relief after the congestion of the city. But drive it with one of India’s few professional crash investigators, Ravishankar Rajaraman, and a quiet terror settles in. He’s studied thousands of crashes on this road and can point to dangers all around.

“There are small, man-made engineering problems that are actually killing people,” he says. Instead of rumble strips to warn drivers they’re at the road’s edge, there are black and yellow curb stones embedded into the concrete. Hit one of those, Shankar says, and your car can flip over. Then there are cliffs with no barriers, and guard-rails with tapered ends, which, he says, can send cars into the sky “like a rocket launcher”.

Things like this are happening all the time. The expressway is just 94km (58 miles) long but about 150 people die on it every year. “That’s serious. That’s a very bad number,” Shankar says. He and his colleagues at JP Research have identified more than 2,000 spots on the expressway where relatively simple engineering fixes, from better barriers to clearer signs, could save lives.

“Road engineers are not serious about this problem,” Shankar says. “So we keep fighting with them on this point. How many deaths are you going to wait for, until you really understand that this is a serious concern?”

In this context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan for the biggest expansion of roads in Indian history is unnerving. In the next few years he wants to pave a distance greater than the circumference of the earth and there’s a particular push to build highways and expressways.

Piyush Tewari, CEO of the SaveLIFE Foundation, says that without putting the country on a “war footing”, including a complete overhaul of road safety legislation and a modern road-building code, Modi’s new roads will only add to the number of dead.

“Road crash deaths will increase at the rate of one death for every 2km of new road that is constructed. That’s the average death rate on Indian highways – one death every 2km, annually. So if we don’t fix any of this, if we’re constructing 100,000km of highways, 50,000 deaths is what the average maths tells us will be added to the total,” he says.

Modi’s government insists the new roads will be safer. “We are improving the road engineering; we are improving the traffic signal system; we are making crash barriers”, transportation minister, Nitin Gadkari, tells me.

There is progress in other areas too. When Mumbai’s commissioner of traffic police predicts a “sea change” in driver behaviour he is partly putting his faith in a new motor vehicle bill, now before parliament, which if passed would increase fines, toughen vehicle registration requirements and mandate road-worthiness tests for transport vehicles.

And earlier this year, a Good Samaritan Act came into effect which ended the crazy situation whereby people who helped crash victims could be held liable for the costs of treating them or even accused by police of causing the crash in the first place. That alone, campaigners say, will save thousands of lives.

When a road accident occurs, bystanders will usually try to help the injured, or at least call for help. In India it’s different. In a country with some of the world’s most dangerous roads, victims are all too often left to fend for themselves.

The SaveLIFE Foundation estimates that half of all road deaths are the result of treatable injuries. That means 75,000 lives could be saved every year just with better medical care.

One man trying to save some of those lives is Mumbai neurosurgeon Dr Aadil Chagla, who is working with volunteers to build a series of clinics along Highway 66, south of Mumbai – many of them in rural areas – to prevent victims having to be driven for hours to the city.

The first is more than half-built. It looks out over rice paddies and lush hills, but Dr Chagla estimates it will be treating victims from “one or two crashes a day, every day”.

“If I can have an ambulance service and trauma centres every 50 to 100km run by the locals it would make huge difference to this entire highway – with or without government support,” he says.

Since Dr Chagla started practising in the 1980s, the number killed on India’s roads has increased by 300%.

“I waited all this time and nothing has really come through so it’s important that I should do something about it,” he says.

So if transportation minister Nitin Gadkari is to make good on his promise to cut road deaths from 150,000 to 75,000 per year in two years, it will be thanks in part to the efforts of volunteers.

The state corporation that owns the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, meanwhile, says it will reduce deaths to zero – yes, zero – by 2020. It has accepted the list of essential improvements identified by crash investigator Ravishankar Rajaraman and authorised them to be made and then audited by the SaveLIFE Foundation.

But there’s a snag, which suggests India is not yet on a “war footing” when it comes to safety.

The state government owns the road, but a private company runs it in exchange for collecting tolls. The two sides dispute who should make the safety upgrades. The official in charge of the expressway says the work will be done, even if it requires litigation to recover the costs.

While the dispute drags on, 100,000 vehicles use the expressway every day in its current, dangerous state. In the past week, it claimed six more lives.

Witnesses said it appeared the driver had tried to beat the boom gates before crashing into the outbound train. Images showed the car had been crushed between the train and the platform.

But Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton said investigators were still trying to work out exactly what happened. “Early indications are that they may not have necessarily been trying to cheat the system or move between the gates or anything,” he told 774 ABC Melbourne.

“They seem to have got themselves disorientated in the intersection. “But that’s still under investigation so we still don’t yet know the clear reason for that.” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews refused to say whether the Union Street crossing would be removed as part of the Government’s level crossing removal program.

“Our thoughts and our best wishes are with the families affected,” he said.

“It’s a horrific incident and one that reminds all Victorians, I think, of the need to remove the level crossings.”

But Victorian Opposition leader Matthew Guy said the State Government should revise its list of crossings to be removed.

“The list of level crossings to be removed is a political list. It’s not always a list of the most needed,” he said. “I would hope that they would judge the list of level crossings to be removed by need.” The Victorian Government is working to remove 50 level crossings across the state.

Motorists’ illegal phone use ‘rising’, says RAC survey

15th September 2016

Image copyrightPA

The number of motorists illegally using mobile phones while at the wheel is rising, an RAC survey suggests.

It says 31% of motorists says they used a handheld phone behind the wheel compared with 8% in 2014.

The number of drivers who said they sent a message or posted on social media rose from 7% to 19%, while 14% said they had taken a photograph or video while driving.

The RAC’s annual Report on Motoring surveyed 1,714 UK motorists. The breakdown organisation said the use of handheld mobiles was “the biggest road safety concern among motorists today”.

It believes a 27% drop in full-time dedicated roads policing officers in England and Wales – excluding London – between 2010 and 2015 means drivers do not fear they will be caught for offences not detected by automatic cameras. It is illegal to drive a car or ride a motorcycle using a handheld phone. Drivers can get an automatic fixed penalty notice, three penalty points and £100 fine. The case could also be taken to court, where the maximum fine is £1,000 and licence disqualification.

Department for Transport figures show that a driver impaired or distracted by their phone was a contributory factor in 492 accidents in Britain in 2014 – 21 of which were fatal and 84 classed as serious.The survey also found:

7% of those who admitted using a mobile while driving said they did it because they knew they would get away with it

23% claimed it was an emergency, 21% said they needed information for their journey and 12% said it was a habit

The government is due to publish the results of a consultation which proposed introducing tougher punishments for illegal mobile use by drivers. The minimum fine for non-HGV drivers is expected to rise from £100 to £150, while penalty points are set to increase from three to four.

‘He shouldn’t have been on the road’

Image copyrightFAMILY HANDOUTImage captionLee Martin was riding his bike as part of an organised event in Hampshire

Cyclist Lee Martin, 48, from Basingstoke, was killed when he was hit by a van going at 65mph on a clear road on 12 August 2015. The driver, Christopher Gard, 30, of Alton, was writing a text message behind the wheel – an offence he had been caught doing several times before.

Lee Martin’s brother Darrell said that when he was told of his brother’s death, he hoped it had been in an accident that was unavoidable. But when the case went to court, it became clear that Gard had been caught texting at the wheel eight times before.

“His text messages were inane. They were about how he was going to meet his mate later and take his dog for a walk. And that’s what killed my brother. It’s horrendous.” Darrell also describes Gard being sentenced to nine years in prison as a “very strange sense of victory in a horrible situation”. “The issue for me is that he shouldn’t have been on the road in the first place. There were eight opportunities before this to stop the man from driving around.

“People seem to think it’s a right to drive a car. Surely it’s a privilege.”

RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: “It is alarming to see that some drivers have clearly relaxed their attitudes to the risks associated with this behaviour but more worrying is the increase in the percentage of motorists who actually admit to using a handheld device when driving.

“The fact that drivers have little or no confidence that they will be caught when breaking these laws is a likely contributor to the problem and it is sadly the case that every day most road users see other drivers brazenly using their handheld phones when in control of a vehicle – a sight which should be a thing of the past.”

A government spokesman said the UK had some of the safest roads in the world and that motorists using handheld mobile phones while driving was “totally unacceptable”. He added: “Offenders involved in road accidents while using a mobile phone already face serious offences such as causing death by dangerous driving, which can carry a substantial prison term.

“We have also proposed tougher penalties for mobile phone use to act as a deterrent and ensure it is not tolerated in society.”

24 injured in Barcelona tourist bus crash

15th September 2016

Barcelona – At least 24 people, most of them tourists, were injured early on Wednesday when a coach crashed in Barcelona on its way to the airport, the emergency services said.

Three of the injured were in a serious condition after the bus crashed at around 03:10 during heavy rain, an emergency services spokesperson said.

Visitors ride on a tourist bus in Barcelona. (Josep Lago/AFP)

The coach had left the resort of Lloret de Mar, 75km north of Barcelona, and was crossing through the city en route to El Prat airport. It was travelling on a ring road which passes close to the waterfront when it crashed.

All of the victims were taken to hospitals across the city. Among the injured were seven tourists from Britain, four Lithuanians, three from Belarus, two from Germany, two from Ireland and a Pole, a city official told regional public radio. He also said there were seven Spaniards on the coach – six of them tourists, and the driver.

Fifteen sustained light injuries, while six were said to be in moderate condition.

11 killed, 8 injured in road accident in northern Mexico

14 September 2016

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say a traffic accident in northern Mexico has killed 11 people and injured eight.

Jalisco state Civil Protection office said in a statement Tuesday that a van collided with a tow truck near the township of Jalostotitlan, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Guadalajara.

All of the dead were riding in the Mercedes Benz Sprinter van. Eight were pronounced dead at the scene and three others died later after being taken to a hospital. Two of the injured were riding in a third vehicle, a sedan. The driver of the tow truck was among the injured.

No information was provided about the cause of the accident.

Eight out of 10 Cambodian coach drivers high on meth, says police chief

13 SEPTEMBER 2016

Police stopped drivers in the Battambang province of CambodiaCREDIT: ALAMY

Road-side drug testing by Cambodian police has uncovered that eight in 10 night time coach drivers in the country’s Battambang province were high on methamphetamine.

Checkpoints were set up in the area in the north west of the country in response to a spike in deaths caused by road traffic accidents this summer. Since the beginning of August nearly 30 people died on the region’s roads, a sharp increase on the 32 that died in the first seven months of the year.

After coaches and trucks were stopped and drivers told to take urine tests, officials found traces of drugs in 80 per cent of samples, with “yaba” or “yama” – a pill that contains both methamphetamine and caffeine – the main culprit, according to Cambodia Daily.

Yaba often comes as a small, red pillCREDIT: GETTY

ADVERTISING

Deputy provincial police chief Chet Vanny told the newspaper that the majority of those tested were behind the wheel of “commercial buses or trucks”.

“When they use drugs before driving, they drive very fast and cause accidents,” he said.

Mr Vanny said that drivers that tested positive for drugs were warned of the dangers of driving while under the influence and “sent on their way”. Drivers were required to thumbprint a statement agreeing not to use drugs while driving again.

Battambang is a popular tourist destination. After visiting for Telegraph Travel in 2012, Christopher Hudson wrote: “It is a sleepy place, its wide, tree-shaded streets near the river lined with French colonial architecture.”

It is only three hours drive from Siem Reap and the temple complexes of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.

“There are high numbers of fatalities and serious injuries. Many accidents are due to poor vehicle and driver safety standards,” it said. “Travel after dark significantly increases the risk of accidents.”

Other countries in the region are also known for high rates of traffic accidents, including Thailand, where the World Health Organisation says there were 14,059 deaths in 2012.

The drug yaba is well known in south-east Asia, with Myanmar hailed as the largest producer of methamphetamine in the world and the drug particularly popular in neighbouring Thailand.

In August Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya suggested that the drug could be decriminalised to allow addicts to come forward for support.

Malta: Point system would curb traffic accidents, Education Minister says

A point system backed by stricter enforcement was needed if the number of traffic accidents caused by reckless driving were to be cut down, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said yesterday.

Mr Bartolo acknowledged the need for “more serious” enforcement in a post on Facebook, expressing support for recent suggestions that the point system in place to penalise reckless motorists in their first three years of driving should apply to everybody.

“Without serious enforcement and the introduction of a point system for all drivers that can lead to the revocation of driving licences for those who break the rules and do not change their ways, bad driving habits causing traffic accidents will not stop,” the minister wrote on his social media page.

Malta Insurance Association director general Adrian Galea last month argued that the demerit point system (DPS), introduced in 2004, should not be limited to the first three years after obtaining the driving licence. Instead, the same set of rules should apply to anyone who breaks the rules, irrespective of their number of years on the road.

If a driver exceeds the 12-point mark for breaking the rules, his/her licence is withdrawn. However, as things stand now, once the three-year probationary period expires, the point system is lifted. Such a point system would also allow insurance companies to better differentiate between drivers who regularly broke the law and those who had a clean record, Mr Galea said.

‘Suicidal driver’ cause of deadly Taiwan bus crash

A suicidal driver was the cause of a bus crash in Taiwan that killed 26 people in July, investigators say. Officials had previously believed the crash, in which an entire Chinese tour group died, was caused by mechanical failure.

But an investigation has found that the driver, Su Ming-cheng, was drunk and had been planning to kill himself. He was already being investigated for scuffling with a tour guide and sexually assaulting an unnamed victim. In both cases, officials alleged he was intoxicated, and prosecutors said the lawsuits had left Mr Su “depressed”.Image copyrightREUTERS Image captionInvestigators said the driver started the fire inside the bus

Minutes before the crash, investigators said, the driver poured fuel inside the bus and started a fire with a lighter. He then swerved into a roadside barrier on a national highway in the city of Taoyuan, killing himself, a local guide and 24 tourists who were headed to the airport. An emergency exit was also locked, trapping people as they tried to escape.

Text messages from Mr Su’s relatives showed they pleaded with him not to take his own life. “Don’t you love the three children in your family? Don’t let them be ashamed. If you do this, it will bring shame to us all,” a message from his sister read, according to a transcript published by Agence France-Presse.

He had been briefly suspended in May by his employer for fighting with another tour guide, officials added. The incident led Beijing to demand Taiwan do more to ensure the safety of mainland Chinese tourists.

Father watched his three children and wife die in a horror crash after a ‘Polish lorry driver smashed into them while changing the music on his PHONE’

Tomasz Kroker was charged with causing deaths of Tracey, Josh and Ethan Houghton and Aimee Goldsmith

Tracey’s partner Mark Goldsmith following in the car behind and survived

Family died on A34 on August 10 on their way home from their holiday

Kroker has not entered a plea and will appear in court again on October 10

9 September 2016

A Polish lorry driver killed a mother and her three children in an eight-vehicle pile-up caused while he flicked through music on his mobile phone, a court heard today. Tomasz Kroker is accused of causing the death of Tracey, Josh and Ethan Houghton and Aimee Goldsmith by dangerous driving after a horror crash on the A34 in Oxfordshire last month.

They were travelling back to their home in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, from a family camping trip. Tracey’s partner Mark Goldsmith was following in the car behind with his son Jake, 13, who saw the collision that killed them.

Distraught: Tracey Houghton’s partner Mark Goldsmith, pictured together, was following in the car behind with his son Jake, 13, at the time of the collision. Ethan Houghton, left, Aimee Goldsmith, centre, and Josh Houghton, right, died alongside Tracy Houghton in the eight-car pile-up. This picture was taken just days before. The father and son were among 12 people injured in eight-vehicle pile-up on the A34 near Newbury, Berkshire, on August 10.

Kroker stood in the dock at Reading Crown Court wearing a grey jumper and light blue jeans, spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth. He did not enter any plea. The father-of-one was also charged with a single count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following the crash which happened at around 5.10pm on August 10.

Magistrates were told that the prosecution case would hinge on evidence that Kroker was using his mobile phone to change music in his cab when his lorry crashed into stationary cars on the A34.

Forty-five-year-old Mrs Houghton was killed along with sons Ethan, aged 13 years, and Josh, aged 11 years, as well as step-daughter Aimee Goldsmith, also aged 11 years, when their Vauxhall Corsa was crushed underneath another lorry in the concertina crash. Mrs Houghton’s partner and Aimee’s father, Mark Goldsmith, witnessed the moment of horror from his Vauxhall Zafira while the family travelled back from a camping holiday.

Four lorries and four cars were involved in the fatal crash in total which killed the mother and the three children from Dunstable, Bedfordshire. The northbound carriageway was closed as emergency services were scrambled. The crash closed a six-mile section of the A34, from junction 13 of the M4, near Newbury, Berkshire, between the villages of East and West Ilsley and it remained shut for more than 18 hours.

Another man and a teenage boy were taken to hospital with minor injuries while another nine people were treated at the scene on the northbound carriageway for minor injuries.

Jim Olphert, prosecuting, gave details of the incident, including an explanation given by the trucker after the crash, but these cannot yet be reported for legal reasons. If convicted of the charges, Kroker could face up to nine years in prison. Kroker, of Tarjan Walk, Andover, Hants., will appear at Reading Crown Court on October 10 and was today remanded in custody.

Police closed a six-mile stretch of the northbound carriageway between Chieveley at junction 13 of the M4 and between the West Ilsley junction following the incident

Mrs Smith said her daughter had only recently started a new job at Bedford Council, on the Dunstable street where she had lived since childhood.

Vietnam: Alcohol – major cause of traffic accidents

Thursday, 09/08/2016

As many as 10,000 cases violating alcohol concentration regulations while driving were handled nationwide in August this year, mostly in Hanoi, Danang, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City, according to a senior police officer.

Although there were only 17 traffic accidents involving drunk drivers, alcohol is a major reason behind serious accidents, said Major General Tran Son Ha, head of the Traffic Police Department, during a meeting of the National Traffic Safety Committee in Hanoi on September 7.

Tran Ky Hinh, head of the Vietnam Department of Register of Shipping, alcohol was the cause of 40% of traffic accidents, but in fact, the rate is higher as alcohol leads to many violations of traffic safety rules.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Khuat Viet Hung reported that 1,760 traffic accidents happened across the country in August this year, killing 705 people and injuring nearly 1,500 others. Compared to the same time in 2015, the cases dropped 2.8%, but the deaths increased 7.8%.

In the eight-month period, traffic accidents nationwide saw a year-on-year decline in the numbers of cases, deaths and injured, with 13,612 accidents, claiming 5,728 lives and wounding 11,781 others.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, who is head of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said that despite a year-on-year drop in the numbers of accidents, deaths and injured in the first eight months of this year, traffic safety situation remains complicated. Many overload vehicles have yet been detected, while corruption has still been seen in handling violations, he noted.

He asked ministries, sectors and localities to strengthen law enforcement, while strictly implementing Decree 46/ND-CP on administrative punishments for road and railway traffic violations. He highlighted the need to develop aviation infrastructure and ensure flight safety amidst the increase of airplanes.

The Deputy PM directed the Ministry of Transport to continue speeding up the building of legal documents, closely managing the transportation business, and seeking ways to ease road overloads. Traffic police in localities should increase breath-testing on drivers to detect violations, he added.

Traffic accidents kill 33 during holiday weekend in Vietnam

September 5, 2016

The number of people killed in road accidents was sharply down from normal during the holiday weekend, with 33 people being killed in 71 accidents and 59 others injured. The statistics were released by the Traffic Police Department for the long weekend starting on National Day (September 2).

Nguyen Trong Thai, the National Traffic Safety Committee spokesman, said there was a street race on National Highway 51 in Dong Nai on September 2 and traffic jams on major thoroughfares in Hanoi and HCMC on September 1 and 4.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, there have been 13,751 accidents in the country this year, killing 5,726 people and injuring 11,781.

Increasing accidents blamed on impaired driving

5th September 2016. KABUL (Pajhwok): As a fatal accident claimed many lives and left injured several others, the General Directorate of Traffic on Sunday called irresponsible attitude of transport companies, use of drugs by drivers and a shortage of standard roads as main causes behind bloody traffic accidents.

At least 36 passengers were killed and 28 others wounded in a bus-tanker collision on the Kabul-Kandahar highway on Sunday morning. Similar bloody accidents had taken place on other highways especially on the Kabul-Kandahar highway.

Abdul Wadood Khair Khwa, professional member of the General Directorate of Traffic, told a joint press conference with deputy minister for youth affairs at the Ministry of Information and Culture and representatives of National Youth Congress civil society institute that traffic police negligence was not behind accidents but the lack of standard roads and violations of traffic rules by drivers had increased tragedies.

He didn’t provide figures about increase in traffic accidents but said: “Corruption to the extent of treason has been committed in construction of roads during the past four decades.” He said roads were paid not attention during their construction and no norm and principle was observed during their reconstruction and as a result roads were not compatible with the intensity of traffic.

Khair Khwa said during construction of roads, traffic police should be consulted, but this culture was not followed in Afghanistan. He called as other reasons behind the increasing traffic accidents the lack of accountability of transport companies and usage of drugs by drivers. He said most drivers used drugs while driving.

While intoxicated, driver’s mind lost the ability to control or follow traffic rules, he said, adding traffic accidents ranked second after the conflict in claiming lives. Dr. Kamal Sadat, deputy youth affairs minister, said transport companies were also responsible for the increase in accidents.

“From now on, the youth and civil society activists by helping the youth affairs department would voluntarily monitor all transport companies and drivers on highways.” Sami Haqjo, the National Youth Congress head, confirmed youth would monitor the performance by transport companies and drivers and said the Ministry of Interior had promised the NYC that volunteer youths would help in monitor traffic performance.

The MoI has said the youth can contact police by dialing 119 and share their complaints regarding the usage of drugs by drivers and driving without licenses, he added. He asked all transport companies and drivers to observe traffic rules and to not pose threats to people’s lives.

Do cycle cameras make the roads any safer?

31 August 2016

Image copyrightALAMY

A foul-mouthed verbal assault by a motorist on the BBC’s Jeremy Vine as he rode his bicycle was captured on camera. The video is the latest to be posted on social media by a cyclist, but what difference does such footage make to road safety?

Jeremy Vine was cycling home down a narrow road last Friday when he was tailgated by an impatient driver who jumped out of her car, shouted at him and appeared to kick his bike. Later she threatened to “knock [Vine] out” and warned: “I could be done for murder.”

Like many other cyclists who’ve experienced similar treatment, Vine had filmed the incident and posted footage on Facebook, as well as passing it on to police. Cycle cameras were first sold as accessories for recreational riders to allow them to edit and create films of their journeys. One of the first was the GoPro video camera, which launched in 2006.

But it soon became apparent they were useful for recording collisions. Cyclists began posting near-misses and other dangerous driving on video-sharing websites like YouTube. Click to watch

Image copyrightYOUTUBE Image captionCyclists share near collisions on social media sites such as YouTube

The roads can be dangerous places for cyclists, who are particularly vulnerable to injury. In 2014, 21,287 cyclists were injured in reported road accidents, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). This included 3,514 who were killed or seriously injured.

If drivers and cyclists are driving properly then neither should have a problem with being filmed

Quentin Willson, Motoring journalist

There aren’t any statistics showing if helmet cameras have made the roads any safer for cyclists. However, motoring journalist Quentin Willson thinks the more cameras – including dashboard cameras in cars – there are on the roads the better, because they are more likely to deter bad behaviour.

“I think cars should have dashcams and cyclist should have headcams. If drivers and cyclists are driving properly, then neither should have a problem with being filmed,” he says.

Conventional methods enforcing road safety aren’t working, Willson says. He’d like to see insurance companies offering discounts to drivers with dashboard cameras to help tackle problems caused by a “motoring underclass” of bad and often uninsured drivers: “They may be angry being filmed but anything that brings them to book is good, I think.”

Footage of road rage attacks on cyclists has a habit of going viral. A driver caught on camera verbally abusing a cyclist in south London last year suffered a torrent of abuse online after the footage was shared on social media.

But there are concerns that as well as inflaming confrontations, such footage may also be fuelling a motorist vs cyclist mentality. In 2014, The Daily Telegraph’s Andrew Critchlow warned that “self-appointed digital road vigilantes” were doing more harm than good.

Comment boards under road rage videos often descend into a war of words between motorist and cyclists, each accusing the other of unsafe road use.Facebook comments under Jeremy Vine’s video are also mixed.

Michael Hutchinson, former Commonwealth Games cyclist and columnist for Cycling Weekly, is sceptical about the effectiveness of cycle and dashboard cameras. “I don’t think, day-to-day, it makes a difference to safety on the roads. I think cameras aren’t that common at the moment and so people who are reacting on the roads, like in the Jeremy Vine case, probably don’t stop to consider if they are being filmed before taking action,” Hutchinson says.

“In these incidents I suspect the perpetrators aren’t rationally thinking their behaviour through.”

Hutchinson does think that they can play an important part after a road rage attack has taken place, however: “One problem cyclists often have is when they report an incident to police, they are told ‘prove it’, and helmet camera provides some evidence. It also helps with insurance providers if it’s one person’s word against another.”

Today, both helmetcam and dashcam footage are increasingly used as evidence in both civil and criminal courts, according to personal injury solicitors Claims Action. They play the same role as CCTV footage.

According to the company’s website, in order to admit a video recording from a helmet camera as evidence, it must be downloaded onto a CD and be accompanied by a certificate countersigned by a solicitor stating that it has not been altered.

However, while road rage incidents may generate clicks and shares, this kind of assault doesn’t appear to be the biggest danger facing cyclists.

Image copyrightISTOCK

According to RoSPA figures for 2013, “failing to look properly” was the highest known contributory factor to an accident involving at least one cyclist and another vehicle. Their records showed that one third of the 9,375 incidents were caused by cyclists while two thirds were caused by drivers of other vehicles.

And while the presence of a camera might conceivably make a motorist think twice about launching a road rage attack, it’s less clear whether it will encourage drivers and cyclists alike to pay attention to the road.

Driverless taxi firm calls UAE ideal test ground

DUBAI // A US software company testing a robot taxi service in Singapore says the UAE would be an ideal testing ground for its driverless cars.

Doug Parker, chief operating officer of nuTonomy, said it was also a viable market for the taxi service, which he claimed would reduce traffic accidents. “It’s a great market for a number of reasons,” he said. “It has good geography, no snow, no rain and good regulations.

“We’re intrigued. We’d love to come and learn more. We’ve had conversations with countries and we’re still open to where our second and third markets will be.” Mr Parker would not say if his company was talking to parties in the UAE. But he insisted driverless vehicles would vastly improve safety. “A driverless car never drinks, it never gets a phone call or a text message, and the sensors are 360 degrees,” he said. “We would also like get the cars to talk to each other so if it sees a car braking hard in front of it, it can tell the 10 cars behind it to slow down and be careful.”

Mr Parker said nuTonomy ­believed driverless vehicles would mostly be used in fleets and not owned by private drivers, which would add to road safety. “As a technology developer, I don’t want to have to explain why there was an accident in our car,” he said. “I have a huge incentive to make sure our cars are as safe as possible.

“I am convinced that driverless cars are going to be at least 95 per cent, maybe 98 per cent, safer than human drivers.” More than 90 per cent of ­accidents involve driver error, and machines have been proven to drive more reliably than people, said Lee Woodcock, global product director for ­intelligent mobility at engineering consultancy Atkins. “The potential is particularly acute here in the UAE because there are more than 200 nationalities on the roads, with very contrasting driving cultures and expectations,” Mr Woodcock said.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said he would like driverless transport to account for 25 per cent of journeys in the emirate by 2030. A test run for a 10-seat autonomous car over a 700-metre track will take place in Downtown Dubai today.

“The trial run of the smart ­vehicle at Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard represents phase one of this technology,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the Roads and Transport Authority. “This experiment is also part of the RTA’s plan to test driverless transit technology under the climatic environment of Dubai.”

NuTonomy is conducting its trial in Singapore’s One-North business park. Some residents were invited to use the company’s smartphone app to book a free ride in a self-driving car. The rides are offered in a ­Renault Zoe or Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicle. An engineer from nuTonomy accompanies the passengers to monitor system performance and assume control if needed.

Data collected will enable the company to refine its software for the launch of a widely available commercial robo-taxi service in Singapore in 2018. Mr Parker said that the target was to have a dozen driverless cars by the end of this year, adding that the company hoped to have hundreds by 2018 and thousands by 2020.

London: Two dead in Penge as car pursued by police ‘hits family’

31st August 2016

Image copyrightSHULEM STERN

The car was being pursued along Lennard Road, Penge, south-east London, when it hit a family walking along the pavement at about 14:05 BST, witnesses said. Ambulance crews and the air ambulance attended but the two pedestrians were pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car – reported stolen – has been arrested and is in custody at a south London police station. The witness said the black car was being chased by two police BMWs when the driver “lost control and ploughed into a family”.

“People were trying to lift a car off a little girl”, the man said. Police have not confirmed if anybody else was hurt in the crash.

Police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission has been informed about the crash.

UK: Family mourn ‘devoted’ wife and mother Carmen Greenway who died in London cycling accident

Family of a Kiwi woman who died in London following a tragic cycling accident are mourning the loss of a “devoted” wife and mother who “exudes love and happiness”.

Carmen Greenway, 41, was cycling with her mother and friends on August 19 when she hit an uneven patch of road and fell off her bike, fracturing her skull on the road. She was not wearing a helmet at the time. In Britain, there is no legal requirement to wear a helmet while cycling. Carmen Greenway, 41, was cycling with her mother and friends. Photo / Supplied

Mother Sherry Bennett said Greenway was taken to intensive care in St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, then transferred to the major trauma ward. On August 25, she went into cardiac arrest and died.-

“I’m struggling, struggling with the sadness and the broken heart,” Bennett told the Herald from London.

“It’s just unbelievable. I feel like I’m on another planet somewhere. I feel like it’s just a bad dream and I just feel like she’s going to walk in the door soon.”

Greenway leaves behind her husband, Rufus Greenway, and her two sons, Finlay 13, and Rafferty, 4. “Rufus is heartbroken, he’s in pieces,” – the accident happened on her birthday. “Carmen and I and her two girlfriends got into our party dresses and got on our bikes. We got dressed up in our heels and makeup and we just cycled very close, just down the road to a restaurant that was a favourite of ours.”

“She was an accomplished road cyclist but she was riding her Pashley, which is a very big, heavy bike. “She hit an uneven part of the road within two or three minutes from her house. The handlebars jack-knifed and she landed on the road. “I was riding right behind her. It was just one of those unbelievable accidents.”

Bennett said the whole family was in shock.

Govt mulls tougher measures

August 30, 2016

KATHMANDU, Aug 30: The government is preparing to introduce sweeping measures against drivers and owners to discourage overloading of passenger vehicles.

Following a string of deadly road accidents this month, the government is planning to amend the existing laws to introduce “stringent regulation” to control road traffic accidents.

Minister for Physical Planning and Works Ramesh Lekhak had instructed the department to prepare a list of provisions that should be amended to ensure road safety. Speaking at the parliament meeting on Sunday, Lekhak had also said that the amendments to the act will include stringent measures such as revoking the driver’s license and the route permit of vehicles if found plying without acquiring the route permit.

The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has prepared a list incorporating the areas to amend existing Transport Management act and regulation, shared spokesperson of the department Baburam Adhikari.

“The department has concluded that the government should increase amount of fines in the case of breach in traffic rules,” he said. Keeping the growing number of traffic rules violations in mind, the department has proposed to increase the amount of fines for flouting traffic rules by up to 400 percent based on the nature of the rule break.

It is necessary to increase the fine amount to discourage drivers in flouting the traffic rules, Adhikari said, adding that the existing fine amount was fixed more than 20 years while formulating Transport Management Act 2004, which does not match in today’s context.

The department will soon decide on the new regulations he said, adding that the government will amend the regulation soon. However, Act regulation process may take longer time as it has to follow the parliamentarian process. The department has requested the government to allow it to add three main provisions in the regulation to reduce the accidents caused by drivers’ negligence and owners’ apathy.

The drivers’ license will be suspended for up to six months if vehicles are found carrying passenger more than its capacity, or plying without receiving a route permit, or collecting fare abruptly after the new regulation comes into effect, he further informed.

30 injured in Himachal accident

Shimla, Aug 29 : At least 30 people were injured when a private mini bus carrying 60 passengers skidded off the road and rolled down a hill in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district on Monday, police said.

The bus was coming to Kullu town when it met with the accident near Jawalapur about 200 km from the state capital.

“At least 60 people mostly belonging to Jawalapur, Nagwain and nearby areas were travelling in the bus. The injured have been referred to the Regional Hospital in Kullu,” a police official told IANS.

Eyewitnesses said the bus was overcrowded and the driver appeared to have lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a turn.

10 killed in south China bus accident

29-08-2016

Beijing, Aug 28 : Ten people were killed when a bus overturned on a highway in southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang region on Sunday.

The bus driver was among those killed, police said.

The accident occurred at around 10 a.m. in Nanning, capital of Guangxi, when the 47-seat bus was approaching its destination. Another 32 people were injured, five of whom were seriously wounded, according to police, Xinhua reported.

The injured have been sent to two hospitals for treatment.

The five seriously injured suffered brain and lumbar spine injuries, said a doctor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University.

An initial investigation showed that the accident might have been triggered by a sudden health condition on the part of the driver.

Nepal jeep accident kills 10

29-08-2016

Arghakhanchi, Aug 28 : At least 10 people were killed as jeep in which they were travelling fell around 400 metres down on the bank of a local rivulet in Nepal’s Arghakhanchi district on Sunday, media reports said.

Nine people had died on the spot, while five others are critically injured after the jeep that left the Arghakhanchi district headquarters Sandhikharka for Baandikot of neighbouring Pyuthan fell 700 metres down the road in Hansapur VDC, The Himalayan Times reported.

7 killed in Uttar Pradesh road accident

By Niral Sharma 27th August 2016

LUCKNOW: Seven persons were killed and two others seriously injured on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkarnagar district when their vehicle was hit head on by a tractor, police said.

The condition of one of the injured is stated to be “very critical”.

An officer told IANS that Haji Vakeel Ahmad, resident of Nariyaon village in Jehangirganj was very unwell and his family (all seated in a Scorpio) were taking him to a hospital in Lucknow when the accident occurred.

When the Scorpio was around a curve, it was hit head on by the speeding tractor.

Six were killed on the spot while three were rushed to a nearby medical facility where one person succumbed to his injuries.

UPDATED- 21 killed, 16 injured in Trishuli bus fall in Chitwan

27th August 2016 TILAK RAM RIMAL

CHITWAN: The death toll in the Trishuli bus fall has reached 21 after one person succumbed to injuries at hospital, according to police. As many as 20 persons had died on the spot after the passenger bus that left Gaur, Rautahat for Pokhara, Kaski plunged into the Trishuli River at Chandibhanjyang of Chitwan district earlier this morning. (Updated)

The security personnel deployed from Chitwan District Police Office in search and rescue operation for the passengers of the bus that plunged into Trishuli River near Kalikhola along the Narayangadh Munglin road section on Friday, August 26, 2016. Photo: Tilak Ram Rimal/THT

CHITWAN: At least 20 persons were killed and 17 others injured when the bus they were aboard plunged 100 metres down into Trishuli River along the Narayangadh-Muglin road section in Chitwan district, at around 4:45 am in the wee hours of Friday.

AAA: Road debris causes thousands of crashes each year

Posted: Aug 24, 2016 By Greg LaMotte

Between 2011 and 2014, over 200,000 traffic accidents have occurred as the result of debris being on the road. That’s the result of a study conducted by the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The study also concludes debris has led to the deaths of more than 500 people during that time frame and 39,000 injuries.

According to the study, 37 percent of all deaths in road debris crashes resulted from the driver swerving to avoid hitting an object. Debris-related crashes are more likely to occur on interstate highways because of higher speeds and less reaction time.

AAA is calling for drivers to properly secure their loads to prevent dangerous debris.

79 “Pokemon Go” Traffic Accidents Reported in Japan

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)

In the first month of the “Pokemon Go” launch in Japan, 79 traffic accidents involving people playing the smartphone game while driving or cycling were reported, the National Police Agency said Tuesday.

In the period between July 22 and Sunday, there were 1,140 cases of traffic law violations related to the game, the agency also said. Although no fatal accidents were reported, a serious injury case was confirmed in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, the NPA said.

According to the agency’s tally, Pokemon Go-linked accidents happened in 29 prefectures. Of them, 22 resulted in injuries and 57 in property damage.

Traffic law violations were reported in all 47 prefectures in the country, with 95 pct of them being cases in which drivers were fixing their eyes on mobile phones while driving.

13 killed 18 injured in two accidents in Andhra and Telangana

August 22, 2016

Ten passengers, including two women, were killed and 18 others injured when a private bus they were travelling in fell into a canal at Nayakangudem in Telangana’s Khammam district in wee hours on Monday, police said.

Besides, in another accident, three persons died in Andhra Pradesh when their car met with an accident in Chittoor district on Monday morning when they were returning from the Krishna Pushkaram festival, they said.

The bus accident occurred at around 3 am when the vehicle, proceeding to Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh from Hyderabad, hit a road railing of a bridge and fell into the canal under Kusumanchi Mandal of Khammam district resulting in the death of 10 passengers and injuries to 18 others, a senior police officer said.

“Around 30 passengers, besides two drivers and two attendants, were travelling in the ill-fated bus when the mishap occurred. After the accident, both the drivers and the attendants are not to be seen,” DIG (Warangal Range) T Prabhakar Rao told PTI over phone.

As per preliminary information, the bus was on high speed and the driver seems to have lost control over the wheels resulting in the accident, the DIG said.

The injured were rushed to Government General Hospital in Khammam, he said adding that police were in the process of registering a case. Earlier, Khammam collector Lokesh Kumar and senior police officials visited the spot and monitored the rescue operation. The Andhra Pradesh government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of the 10 deceased. Some of the victims belonged to East Godavari and some were from West Godavari district of the AP.

Meanwhile, three persons were killed in a separate road accident in the AP’s Chittoor district. The car they were travelling in rammed into a stationary lorry on the highway at Srimallavaram village, killing three persons belonging to Madanapalle.

The victims were returning to their town after taking part in the Krishna Pushkaram. (festival of River Krishna which normally occurs once in every 12 years – Ed).

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the accidents and spoke to the collectors of East Godavari and Chittoor districts over phone to enquire about the incidents, a communication from the CMO said.

Minor road accidents may soon be reported at Dubai petrol stations

Staff Report Published: August 22, 2016

Al Rashidiya police station will train around 15 Enoc employees to report minor traffic accidents on the Dubai Police smartphone app, so people can go to petrol stations instead of the police station to avoid queues, reported Gulf News. The new initiative will be tested out in three Enoc stations in the police station’s area of jurisdiction and that the training will take three months, Brigadier Saeed Hamad Bin Sulaiman, director of Al Rashidiya police station, reportedly said.

“During the three months of training, a police officer will be at the station at all times to ensure the staff are filling the forms correctly,” he was quoted as saying.

The 24/7 service will be available at three Enoc stations: Al Wasn station on Tripoli Street, Al Yamamah station on Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (Abu Dhabi bound) and the Bypass Road station, also on Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (Sharjah bound), the report said.

“We choose those three stations because most minor accidents occur on roads near them, according to our traffic statistic. The majority — 80 per cent — of traffic accidents in our area of jurisdiction are minor,” he reportedly said. Al Rashidiya police station gets an average of 200-250 minor accident reports a day, which he said could be easily reported using the Dubai Police smartphone app if both parties are in agreement.

“This new initiative aims to raise more awareness of the app, which people can use themselves. The Enoc employees will also try to teach people how to use the app’s feature. The initiative will also help reduce the number of visitors to the police station,” he was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

Reporting a minor accident, where both parties are in agreement on who is at fault, takes three minutes, “but if they come to the police station it depends on how long it takes them to get to the station and the queue system when they get there. It may take more than an hour to report their case if the station is busy, while the work could have been done in minutes if they used the app,” he reportedly said.

While some people are still reluctant to use the app, Brig Bin Sulaiman explained, “Some might have a smartphone but do not have internet access, and some do not have the app. This is where the service at Enoc stations would help,” he said.

When you report an accident through the app, you get the accident report through e-mail or SMS a few minutes after successfully filing out the forms and attaching the required pictures, said the Dubai-based news portal.

“We will assess this trial phase and, if the results are a success, we will recommend this to the authorities at Dubai Police, so after its approval it could be applied to various stations across the city,” he said. Trained Enoc staff will wear a reflective yellow vest with the Dubai Police logo so people can identify them, reported Gulf News.

Qatar- Steep drop in road accidents fatalities

MENAFN – The Peninsula – 21/08/2016 By Sidi Mohamed

DOHA: Deaths caused by traffic accidents in Qatar dropped by an impressive 22.7 percent during the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, data released by the Ministry of Interior showed yesterday.

The total number of traffic accidents fell by 6.3 percent during the same period, with a 33.3 percent decline in pedestrian casualties resulting in deaths.

The report also indicates that deaths due to traffic accidents in the country have fallen to an average 6.3 for every 100,000 people from the highest average of 12 deaths — a decline by 47.5 percent. This represents a decrease by 28.4 percent compared to the same period last year. The downward trend in fatal accidents has been attributed to an increased awareness about traffic safety, as a positive outcome of the national traffic safety strategy.

The report shows that the total number of traffic accidents during the first half of this year, including minor and major one, dropped to 17,907 from 19,351 reported during the same period last year — a decline by 6.3 percent.

Of these, an overwhelming 97.6 percent of the incidents were minor, which did not cause any injuries. And a huge majority of the injuries caused by the accidents — 88.5 percent — were minor. Total deaths from traffic accidents fell by 22.7 percent to 99 cases compared to 128 reported during the first half of last year. Severe injuries, however, increased by 13.5 percent to 429 cases this year, from 378 reported last year (severity shift from fatal to serious? – Ed).

On the other hand, accidents causing deaths dropped by 27.6 percent this year compared to the same period last year. They accounted for 0.06 percent of the total accidents. The number of Qataris who died in the accidents also fell by 22.2 percent. The number of accidents resulting in deaths dropped to 81 this year, from 112 reported last year.

“The incident took place in early hours when the jeep heading towards Tikamgarh rammed into the truck on a turning, killing eight persons and injuring 10 others,” Digoda police station In-charge said.

Eight persons were killed and 10 others injured when the jeep they were travelling in collided with a truck on Jhansi-Tikamgarh road near Barmataal village in the district on Friday, police said.

“The incident took place in early hours when the jeep heading towards Tikamgarh rammed into the truck on a turning, killing eight persons and injuring 10 others,” Digoda police station In-charge, Wahid Khan told PTI.

Bus crash on mountain road in Nepal kills at least 33 people

16th August 2016

Another 28 injured as bus taking people to receive compensation for last year’s earthquake rolls off slippery road

A victim of the bus crash is assisted by Nepalese army personnel after being airlifted to Kathmandu. Photograph: Reuters.

A bus filled with people travelling to their home villages in Nepal to receive the first government payments for victims of last year’s devastating earthquakeslipped off a narrow mountain road on Monday, killing at least 33 people and injuring 28 others.

The bus was heading to Kartike Deurali village, among the worst hit by the quake, which killed nearly 9,000 people in the country. The road, little more than a trail, was wide enough for only one vehicle to pass at a time and was slippery because of continuous rain.

A Nepalese home ministry official, Chiranjivi Nepal, said 33 people were killed, but injured passengers and relatives said many more may have died because the wreckage was scattered along the slope below the road and some areas were inaccessible.

“The bus stalled while climbing the hill and the driver tried to restart it, but the vehicle rolled backward and then slipped off the road,” said Kopila Gautam from a bed at the national trauma centre in Kathmandu.

Gautam said about 85 passengers were riding inside the bus and on its roof. It was also packed with bags of rice, lentils, flour and other supplies being taken to villages. Gautam was sitting on a sack of rice because there were no seats available. She said she and other survivors struggled to climb back up to the road after the crash.

Pustak Gautam, a villager who reached the site about an hour after the accident to rescue his nephew, said bodies and wreckage were scattered over a large area.
“It appeared that the bodies were ejected as the bus rolled down the slope, so I am sure more bodies will be found,” Gautam said.

Another villager, Mohan Giri, who rushed to the hospital after hearing about the accident, said the bus was unusually crowded because many people were heading from Kathmandu to their villages to receive the first government grants for earthquake victims.

The accident occurred near Khare Khola, about 80km (50 miles) east of the capital. Officials said the bus plunged off the road and rolled about 150 metres (500 ft).

Army and police personnel were searching the area for bodies. Nepal’s mountainous terrain, extreme weather and poorly maintained roads and vehicles often make for treacherous travel conditions. Many of the bus accidents in the country happen during the monsoon season, which begins in June and ends in September.

Stefan Henze: Germany canoe slalom coach dies following car crash

16th August 2016

Stefan Henze in competition at the World Championships in Sydney in 2005

Germany canoe slalom coach Stefan Henze has died following a car crash near the Rio Olympic Park last week.

The 35-year-old 2004 Olympic silver medallist suffered head injuries when a taxi he was in with a team-mate crashed into a concrete barrier on Friday. The German Olympic Committee (DOSB) said Henze had died of his injuries in the presence of his family.

“Words cannot describe what we feel in the team after this terrible loss,” said DOSB president Alfons Hormann. International Olympic Committee president and compatriot Thomas Bach added: “The IOC is mourning the loss of a true Olympian.”

The DOSB will hold a memorial service in the Olympic village on Tuesday and has asked the International Olympic Committee to fly the German flag at half-mast at all venues.

Another canoe team official, Christian Kaeding, suffered minor injuries in Friday’s accident and was released after hospital treatment.

Jeddah (Fikrokhabar/IINA) – Saudi authorities said that traffic accidents killed more than 92,000 and injured around 495,000 people in the period of 1999 to 2015, and that road crash victims occupy 32 percent of hospital beds in the country, Arab News reported.

Over the past 21 months, traffic authorities recorded more than 15,000 drifting violations by citizens and residents, and 449 cases were referred and reviewed by courts over the previous five years. A study conducted by Saudi Arabia’s Traffic Department revealed that every 10 years the number of people killed because of traffic accidents increases by an annual rate of 130 persons.

In 1999, the number of persons killed because of traffic accidents reached approximately 4,848 people, and in 2009, the number of the deceased increased to 6142 people, with an annual increase of about 5 percent. If the pace continues, the number of deaths due to traffic accidents is expected to reach 7,400 in 2019, at a daily rate of 21 persons. The number of people injured due to traffic accidents is rising by a yearly rate of 200. At this rate, in 2019 the number of injured people is expected to reach about 36,000 per year, an average of 100 injuries a day.

Official records also show that more than 500,000 accidents occur annually in the Arab world, resulting in 36,000 deaths and 400,000 injuries and disabilities, besides the tremendous economic losses.

According to WHO, injuries from traffic accidents rank 9th in the hierarchy of diseases in 1999, and will rank 3rd in 2020 in low-income countries, due to lack of necessary prevention measures.

The woman had been identified as Yeh Hui-ju (葉惠銖), a 55-year-old Taiwanese citizen from Chiayi City, Chiu said.

Twenty Taiwanese survivors were sent to local hospitals for medical treatment or examination, Chiu said. As of press time, two of the survivors had been reported as severely injured. They were identified as Kaohsiung residents but their names had not yet been released.

The tourists were on a four-day trip in Southeast China arranged by Taiwanese travel agent Falcon Tour (福客旅行社), based in Kaohsiung City, Chiu said. They were traveling in Longyan City (龍岩市), a city in southwest Fujian province, when the incident took place, he said. At around 10 a.m. Saturday morning, the bus was forced from the road and overturned after it was caught in a sudden mudslide.

All but one of the passengers managed to crawl out of the bus through a window, mainland Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency reported.

8 people killed in mini-bus accident in southern Ukraine

By ASSOCIATED PRESS 13 August 2016

MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine’s agency for emergency situations says eight people have been killed in a mini-bus collision in the country’s south.

The State Service for Emergency Situations said in a statement Saturday that a mini-bus and a truck collided in early Saturday on the highway connecting capital of Kiev with the Black Sea port of Odessa. One of those killed is an 8-year-old child. Another injured person is in the hospital in a grave condition.

The press office of the Mykolaiv region’s police said the collision happened after the mini-bus, which was moving south, rammed into the truck, which was parked on the side of the road.

Photos released by the Mykolaiv police showed the front of the white mini-bus smashed into the back of the truck.

Brian Rudman: Pursuit death a heavy toll for crime of idiocy

How many “bubbly,” best nieces in the world, like 17-year-old tourism student Moana Matthews, are going to die unnecessarily in high-speed car chases before the police abandon their deadly pursuit policies.

Early Sunday morning, Moana, chased because of erratic, speeding driving, flipped her car into a stream in Rotorua and died. Three companions ended up in hospital. In most Australian states, such a pursuit would have been forbidden.

Late last week, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA), which has long called for reforms, released another critical report into a high-speed chase, this time by the Armed Offenders Squad in Christchurch in November 2014.

In that pursuit of a suspected drug courier, the fleeing car crossed the centre line, seriously injuring three elderly occupants of a passing car plus two occupants of the car being chased. The authority criticised the poor planning of the operation.

For years, the IPCA has been badgering the police about their gung ho pursuit policy. In 2009, then chairwoman Justice Lowell Goddard questioned “the value of pursuits that begin over driving offences such as speeding, careless driving or suspect drunken driving without observable, immediate threat to public safety”.

She said there was “little benefit to the public in police taking action that is likely to make a potentially dangerous situation worse”.

Unfortunately, backed by politicians who fear to be seen as “soft on crime,” the police continue to ignore this wise advice. In February the IPCA’s operations manager Warren Young repeated this call for a review before the parliamentary Law and Order Committee, arguing that too many young people were dying. He said they wanted to prevent the deaths of people who were not a danger to the public but had just made a bad decision.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush was quick to deny any need for a change.

INDIA: Road Safety Bill misses key facets

12th August 2016

The move to amend the Motor Vehicles Act to improve road safety is most welcome. As signatory to the Brasilia Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals, India has committed to halve the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020.

The amendment will give the traffic police more room to enforce behaviour that could reduce the toll. However, while these amendments are necessary, these are not sufficient to improve safety on the roads.

The amendments currently before Parliament focus on safety of children during commute, protection of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, non-motorised transport like bicycle, electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety, creating a unified driver licensing and vehicle registration system resulting in a national electronic database, higher penalties for violations, higher compensation for hit-and-run cases, and treating offences by juveniles who should not have been driving as a separate category.

The amendment will give the traffic police more room to enforce behaviour that could reduce the toll. However, while these amendments are necessary, these are not sufficient to improve safety on the roads.

Better road design, both on the highway and inside towns, is a vital part of the agenda that finds no mention. Urban planning of physical spaces and public transport must be integrated into traffic management to minimise accidents and casualties. India’s biggest hurdle in achieving any goal is enforcement of rules and laws.

Trucks are routinely overloaded and those entrusted with the task of monitoring compliance with norms relating to speeds, loads, number of hours at the wheel, etc, are routinely incentivised to look the other way.

Enforcement cannot improve by changing laws. However, better databases that insurance companies can tap to tailor premia to suit levels of compliance with rules will help. The provision for vehicle recall is welcome.

So is incorporating the Good Samaritan guidelines to protect assistants at accident sites from civil and criminal liability. The law could mandate scientific investigation of accidents and data collection. Teaching people how to drive can and must change radically. Safety ultimately depends on the political will to enforce sensible regulation.

Jordan- Three dead, two injured in road accidents

MENAFN – Jordan News Agency 12th August 2016

(MENAFN – Jordan News Agency) Amman, Aug. 10 (Petra)–Three people were killed and two others were injured in two separate traffic accidents on Wednesday, according to the Civil Defense Department (CDD).

In the northern Irbid Governorate, two people were killed and another was injured in a traffic accident that involved three vehicles on the Irbid-Husn Road.

CDD cadres adinistered first aid to the injured and evacuated the dead to Princess Basma Hospital.

Separately, a person was killed and another was injured when a vehicle overturned on the Irbid-Zarqa highway. CDD cadres evacuated the dead to King Abdullah I University Hospital and administered first aid to the injured who was listed in moderate condition.

UK: At least four dead and 12 injured in horrific pile-up on the A34 involving eight vehicles

11th August 2016

Four people have died following crash involving cars and four lorries

Several other people are believed to be injured following accident

Incident took place at around 5pm this evening on A34 in Newbury

Man arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving

Four people have died and several more are believed to be injured following a rush hour accident involving four cars and four lorries.

Thames Valley Police said a man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and is currently in custody.

The accident took place on the A34 north of Newbury on the northbound stretch of the carriageway after the East Isley turn-off, at about 5pm.

Four people have died and several more are believed to be injured following an accident involving four cars and four lorries on the A34 north of Newbury, West Berkshire

Deaths by traffic accident on the rise in Dubai

Staff Report Published: August 8, 2016

DUBAI: Traffic accidents on Dubai roads killed more than 110 people in the first six months of this year, a 45 percent increase from the same period in 2015.

A total of 112 people died and 1,037 were injured in 1,472 accidents from the beginning of January to the end of June. Last year during the same time there were more accidents – 1,526 – but only 77 were killed, The National quoted the latest Dubai Police statistics as saying.

Brig Saif Al Mazrouei, director of the General Department of Traffic, reportedly said sudden swerving, speeding, tailgating, and lack of road etiquette were among the leading causes of deaths on the road. Lack of consideration for other road users led the top four.

“The highest number of fatalities – 27 – was a result of a lack of proper road etiquette, followed by 21 because of tailgating, 14 due to sudden-swerving, and 14 because of speeding,” Brig Al Mazrouei was quoted as saying. Of the 1,037 people injured this year, 78 were seriously hurt with the rest suffering moderate and minor injuries, the report said.

Car crashes, pedestrians being run over and vehicles turning over are so far the most common accidents this year, it added. Brig Al Mazrouei reportedly said 45 people were killed and 695 injured in car crashes, while 29 people were killed and 166 were injured in run-over accidents.

Thirteen people were killed and 71 injured when their vehicles overturned, said the new portal, adding that the figures do not include the seven people killed when a minibus collided with a lorry on Emirates Road last month.

That accident prompted fresh calls from road safety experts to ban small passenger vehicles from the country’s roads. Also in the first six months of this year, Dubai Police recorded 44 accidents involving minibuses, in which six people died and 76 were injured, reported The National.

UAE- One killed, 16 injured in minibus-pick up accident

MENAFN – Khaleej Times – 05/08/2016

(MENAFN – Khaleej Times) One woman was killed and 16 people were injured when a pick-up crashed into a minibus carrying company employees – on Amman street in Muhaisna 2, at 9.30am on Thursday.

The accident occurred when the pick-up tried to stop at a traffic signal at high speed; the driver lost control and went over the road median into the opposite lane and hit the minibus going in the opposite direction.Major General pilot Anas Al Matrooshi, Director-General of the Deparment of Transport and Rescue at Dubai police, said police and rescue teams rushed to the accident spot within eight minutes.

One woman in the minibus died on the spot, sven sustained serious injuries, and nine people had minor injuries. They were rushed to Rashid Hospital.Maj Al Matrooshi said the rescue teams had to use hydraulic cutters to take out the passengers who were stuck inside the minibus – one man and three women.

He praised the efforts of the emergency teams for their quick response and organising the traffic movement.This is the second major accident involving a minibus in two weeks. On July 26, seven people were killed and 13 injured on Emirates road after a minibus crashed into a truck that was halted on the third lane after the latter had had a minor accident.

Thailand: Traffic offenders must help road accident victims

The Nation August 5, 2016 6:05 pm

People on probation for traffic violations will be ordered to aid road accident victims.

The move is also designed to expose offenders to the relatives of road accident victims so they can see the grief caused by careless drivers.

The action was activated Friday by the signing of an agreement between the Probation Department and the Poh Teck Tung Foundation.

Department director-general Pol Colonel Narat Sawettanant said: “We will send traffic law violators on probation to serve in this activity to make them more responsible for their reckless actions that could affect society, so they won’t re-offend.”

Canada to investigate fatality caused by defective airbag

2016-08-05

FAULTY AIRBAG: A defective airbag in a 2009 Hyundai Elantra (pictured) was cause of a death in Canada. Image: Quickpic

Ottawa, Canada – An investigation into faulty airbags that started in July 2016 in the United States expanded Thursday (August 3) as Canadian authorities launched a probe after a death resulting from a ruptured inflator.

The fatality in Canada’s Atlantic island Newfoundland province was blamed on the failure of a driver’s side airbag manufactured by ARC Automotive Inc, Transport Canada said in announcing its investigation. The motorist was driving a 2009 Hyundai Elantra when the airbag exploded.

Previous incidents: Transport Canada noted two previous incidents in the United States involving ARC airbags manufactured in Knoxville, Tennessee. One was in a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country and another in a 2004 Kia Optima. Both caused serious injury.

The agency said it was in communication with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is probing the US cases. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) noted when it opened its investigation In July 2016 that the airbags had been installed in 500 000 vehicles.

ARC had produced about eight million driver and passenger side airbags for an unspecified number of Chrysler, General Motors, Kia and Hyundai vehicles sold in the United States since September 2004, the US agency said. The airbag in the Canadian case “had ruptured in substantially the same manner as the two previous incidents” in the United States, the NHTSA said.

Big recalls: The airbag in the Hyundai Elantra had been manufactured at an ARC plant in China. The NHTSA said in a statement it does not know if any of the Chinese-made airbags were installed in cars sold in the US.

The latest case was not related to recent Takata airbag failures, Transport Canada said. Japanese supplier Takata has been entangled for more than two years in a scandal over defective airbags linked to 13 deaths and scores of injuries. The crisis has sparked the recall of some 100 million airbags worldwide.

Khuất Việt Hùng, standing deputy chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, made these observations while speaking at the signing ceremony for co-operation between the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers on Thursday.

By comparison the country’s growth was more than 6 per cent of the GDP last year. The problem of traffic accidents in the country remain complicated, according to the official.

On an average, 24 people die in road accidents and 60 people are injured every day.

Traffic accidents are a serious global problem and a great challenge for the governments of different countries around the world, including Việt Nam. Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that every year, traffic accidents killed 1.25 million worldwide and injured another 50 million.

WHO has recommended that if countries did not have drastic measures in place, by 2020 as many as 1.9 million people would die every year in traffic accidents, and millions others would be injured.

At present, thanks to co-operation of the Party, the Government and concerned ministries, traffic accidents in Việt Nam had decreased, Hùng said. From 2011 to 2015, the number of deaths decreased by more than 12,500, as compared to the 2006-10 period.

In the first seven months this year, the country saw 11,852 traffic accidents, which killed 5,023 people and injured 10,286 others. This was a drop of 1,058 cases, 144 deaths and 1,360 injured, as compared to the same period last year. – VNS

Serbia: 121 dead in 6,000 traffic accidents since June

Since the first half of June and the beginning of the tourist season, there have been about 6,000 traffic accidents in Serbia that killed 121 people.

4th August 2016

(Tanjug, file)

According to Aleksandar Radenkovic from the Traffic Police, the figure means that 16 more people died than over the same period last year, although the number of accidents remained at the same level.

He pointed out that most road accidents happen during the summer vacation season.

“Our analyses show show that in the last 10 years, during the tourist season, an average of 300 people get killed each year. We identified the problem, so the average has been significantly reduced in the last three years,” said Radenkovic.

According to him, since the beginning of the year there have been around 20,000 traffic accidents in Serbia, resulting in the deaths of 330 people and leaving 11,000 more with various degrees of injuries – i.e., nine percent more dead and six percent more injured than over the same period last year.

Radenkovic pointed out that the police are continuously carrying out enhanced traffic checks focused primarily on detecting and sanctioning speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, and those not wearing seat belts – the three problems that he said EU traffic safety institutions have identified as “the three killers.”

Pedestrian Deaths In India Could Be Double Than Officially Stated

2nd August 2016

India’s official statistics between 2001-14 report that pedestrians comprise fewer than 10 per cent

NEW DELHI: More than double the pedestrians die every day on Indian roads that what the official figures suggest, according to a new study.

Police reports of the actual toll of road traffic injuries differ substantially from official statistics, the study, published online in the journal Injury Prevention, showed.

India’s official statistics on road traffic injuries between 2001 and 2014 report that pedestrians comprise fewer than 10 per cent of deaths – unusually low for a country where walking is the most common means of transportation, the researchers said. The actual figures could be more than 20 per cent, meaning that almost one fifth of road accident victims are pedestrians, according to the research. Similarly, the study said, motorcycle deaths are also underrepresented in the official statistics.

“Our study suggests that taken together pedestrians and motorcyclists account for the vast majority of traffic deaths in India,” said lead author Kavi Bhalla, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, US.

“The Indian government claims that they intend to cut traffic deaths by half, but this is impossible to achieve without knowing how people die on the roads,” Mr Bhalla said. In India, traffic police are responsible for investigating road traffic collisions. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collects police reports from across the country and collates these to produce the official statistics for road traffic injuries.

In a bid to test the accuracy of these figures, the researchers reviewed police First Information Reports (FIR) of road traffic deaths in Belgaum district of Karnataka in 2013 and 2014. These were then compared with the official stats from the NCRB, and large discrepancies emerged.

For example, official statistics for Belgaum reported that only nine per cent of deaths were among pedestrians, but the FIRs showed that in reality pedestrians comprised more than double that ? 21 per cent. Similarly, official government statistics reported that 37 per cent of road traffic deaths were among motorcyclists, but the FIRs showed that they comprised almost half at 49 per cent.

While the study is based in only one district, the process of reporting in this district is similar to that used by all districts in the country. The findings therefore suggest that India’s official statistics on road traffic deaths are likely to be unreliable, with pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists underrepresented, while vehicle occupants are over represented, conclude the authors.

The researchers noted that there was no substantial discrepancy in the total traffic deaths between the official statistics for the district and their assessment. The reasons for these apparent discrepancies in official statistics are not clear, the researchers said. One possibility is that official statistics capture the mode of transport for the person judged responsible for the crash rather than reporting how the person who died was travelling. Whatever the cause, until reporting procedures are fixed, researchers and policymakers in India should use data from police case files not official government statistics, Mr Bhalla said.

Road accident leaves 5 foreign tourists dead in Bolivia

(MENAFN – Saudi Press Agency) LA PAZ, Bolivia, August 01, 2016,

SPA — Police say an all-terrain vehicle carrying tourists flipped over in southern Bolivia, killing three Belgians, an Italian and a Peruvian, according to AP.

Border Police commander Col. Rodolfo Salazar told The Associated Press on Sunday that the driver lost control of the vehicle as it sped on the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat and the main tourist destination in the country’s south.

Police said that in addition to the five dead, three people were injured. The accident took place Saturday night about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of La Paz, Bolivia.

Sharp increase in the number of people who lost their lives in traffic accidents during the summer

31. JULY 2016

37 people died on Norwegian roads in June and July, far more than last year. Discouraging numbers reported by NPRA “Statens vegvesen “.

In last year’s June and July a total of 24 people passed away on the roads and also for the full year has been clearly more people have lost their lives on the road.

– This is discouraging. We have no immediate explanation, said Vibeke Grimstad in NPRA “Statens vegvesen “.
During the first seven months 84 people lost their lives on Norwegian roads which are 21 more than the same time last year. As record broken last year on number of people died in traffic, may 2016 be one of the years with the fewest casualties despite the sharp rise so far.

We must return to the years after the war to find similar low numbers. We are obviously pleased with the positive developments but this is far more than numbers and statistics for those affected.

Behind every accident is the fate that touches, frames and characterize families, friends, colleagues and communities forever. Therefore, road safety is our number one priority, said Grimstad.

There is a clear sadness that we see that accidents are going up again, said District Manager of Road Safety in Vestfold, Mette Magnussen to NTB on Thursday.

‘Pokemon Go’ causes car crashes, close shave with bear

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN July 26, 2016

Matsumoto Castle Park in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, has seen an increase in visitors who are riding their bicycles while fiddling with their smartphones since “Pokemon Go” began service on July 22. (Kimihiko Sato)

From causing traffic accidents to a close encounter with a bear, the immensely popular “Pokemon Go” game has been wreaking havoc here similar to elsewhere in the world since its release in Japan on July 22.

“I got carried away playing ‘Pokemon Go,’” was the explanation of one 21-year-old office worker who was questioned by the police after ramming his car into another vehicle in Otsu on the morning of July 25. A total of three cars were involved in the accident, which was caused by the man.

According to the National Police Agency, 36 traffic accidents and 71 incidents of road violations stemming from the smash hit app had occurred as of noon July 25, since the game was made available three days earlier.

Four accidents that occurred in Tochigi and Shizuoka prefectures, along with Hokkaido, have resulted in injuries. Three of them involved bicycles.

“Pokemon Go”-related traffic violations took place in Tokyo and 25 prefectures, which mostly involved car and motorcycle drivers playing the app while driving their vehicles.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, is unhappy with the attention its facilities are receiving through the app.

The power plant has been a focus of attention for many “Pokemon Go” players for the past few days, as it was rumored on Twitter, along with the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant, that it is home to rare electric-type Pokemon.

TEPCO denounced the attention as “inappropriate, whether the Pokemon actually do make an appearance or not,” and banned its employees and contract workers from playing the app on the premises of the two power plants.

Additionally, the utility sent a document to the app’s developers requesting that they prevent Pokemon from spawning and PokeStops–spots in the game where items can be obtained–from being set up in the vicinity of nuclear power plants.

Elsewhere, a university student had a scare as he was playing “Pokemon Go” on a road in Oshamanbe, Hokkaido, on the night of July 22.

Absorbed by the game, the student did not notice a bear until he was just a few meters from the animal. The student was unharmed.

(This article was written by Susumu Sakamoto and Kiyohito Kokita.)

20 Killed in road accidents in June

Finland Times. Report, Jul 25 2016 (Good report. Ed)

File Photo – Lehtikuva.At least 20 persons were killed and 593 others injured in road traffic accidents in June 2016, according to preliminary data of Statistics Finland.A total of 461 accidents involving personal injury happened in road traffic in the month.

The number of persons killed was two higher and that of persons injured three higher than in June 2015. Of the persons who were killed, 12 travelled by passenger car, one by moped, one by motorcycle and two by lorry. Pedestrians killed in road traffic accidents numbered two and cyclists one. In addition, one other road user was killed. Among those who died, 16 were men and four were women, the statistics show.

Persons killed in road traffic accidents 1/1985 – 6/2016. Deaths in the past 12 months by month. Source: Transport and Tourism: Statistics on road traffic accidents. Statistics Finland. A total of 2,089 road traffic accidents involving personal injury happened in January to June period when 101 persons were killed and 2,634 persons injured.

The number of persons killed was 17 lower and that of persons injured 118 lower than in the corresponding period of 2015. Of the persons who were killed, 71 travelled by passenger car, six by van, five by motorcycle, two by moped and three by lorry. Pedestrians killed numbered eight and cyclists five. In addition, one other road user was killed during the period.

New Sharjah radars to detect cars that don’t leave safe distance

Afkar Abdullah/Sharjah 23rd July 2016

Long Wait – A car is waiting to get into the main road during slow moving traffic from Dubai to Sharjah on Sharjah bridge (File photo (Illustrative picture))

A top official at Sharjah Police said that the move comes after recent studies by the department, which showed that most traffic accidents are caused by the failure to keep a safe space between cars, particularly in rough weather, when pileup accidents are frequent, causing death as well as serious to moderate injuries.

Sharjah Police Department will soon install advanced radars to detect the cars that fail to maintain a safe distance between them, a major cause of crashes and pile up accidents. The plan will be executed to cover the entire emirate in the next six months.

A top official at Sharjah Police said that the move comes after recent studies by the department, which showed that most traffic accidents are caused by the failure to keep a safe space between cars, particularly in rough weather, when pileup accidents are frequent, causing death as well as serious to moderate injuries.

In many cases, especially while driving at high speeds, the driver has to slow down due to any sudden changes in the road or traffic, and the car right behind ends up crashing into them due to the lack of safe distance.

The current traffic radars are advanced, but not programmed to detect this particular violation.

The violator who fails to maintain space between them and the vehicle in front will be fined Dh400 and get 4 black points on his traffic record, as per the federal traffic law. “There are many reckless drivers who drive close to the car ahead, at high speed, and cause fatal accidents.”

5-year-old child dies in horrific road accident

MENAFN – Khaleej Times – 22/07/2016

(MENAFN – Khaleej Times) A five year old child was killed and 23 people were injured after the minibus turned over several times and then caught fire on Al Mediag road in Wadi Al Helow area in Sharjah’s Kalba.Police said the accident was caused by the bus making a sudden diversion on the road. The accident happened around 7 am, and police patrol cars, the resue unit, ambulance and fire fighters were despatched immediately.

The injured were rushed to Kalba hospital. Civil Defence doused the fire, and removed the completely gutted mini bus from the road.Police urged motorists to follow traffic regulations and be alert to any sudden changes in road or traffic conditions to avoid such accidents.

Graham

21st July 2016

The body of Graham with his huge chest, inflated head, extra nipples and absence of a neck has been designed to survive a car crash.

Graham, who was created by Melbourne sculptor Patricia Piccinini, is part of the Victorian Government’s new road safety campaign.

Piccinini drew from the knowledge of trauma surgeon Christian Kenfield and road safety engineer David Logan to build a body that could withstand a high-speed crash.

Several airbags in between each rib and a huge chest to protect the heart

Thicker and tougher skin to shield and reduce abrasions and road rash

Strong legs to allow him to jump out of the way of oncoming cars

Knees bend in all directions to save him breaking his leg when hit by a car

UAE warns against posting photos, videos of traffic accidents on social media

20th July 2016 By Aarti Nagraj

The circulation of such images is against the law, said officials

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Interior has warned people against posting photographs or video clippings of traffic accidents on social media.

In a statement, the ministry said the circulation of such images or videos “is deemed irresponsible behaviour and shows the lack of a positive spirit among the citizenry. It is also a violation of the law.”

People must respect the feelings of the relatives of the deceased and those injured, the statement added. “The circulation of these images is unacceptable as it can cause a psychological shock to parents when they view such images,” official news agency WAM quoted the ministry as saying.

Such a move is also ‘contrary’ to the UAE’s values derived from the Islamic concept of tolerance. The ministry emphasised that those who posted such images on social media would face stringent action. The announcement comes after photos of a traffic accident at a McDonald’s restaurant in Ajman were widely circulated on social networking sites. Two people were killed in the accident while five others were wounded.

Director of Security Media Department at the Ministry of Interior Major Fawaz Ali Abdullah said the circulation of such images “deepens the pain and grief of their families.” He reiterated that authorities had already made it clear that “such behaviour” violated the privacy of others.

Major Abdullah stressed that “police authorities were keen to disclose the circumstances surrounding the accident in a transparent and credible manner without any delay once necessary investigations were completed to inform public opinion about its findings.”

The UAE and all the other Gulf states have very strict laws governing the use of social media in the country. Late last week it was reported that ‘invading the privacy of, defaming or harming others’ on social media can carry a one-year prison sentence and a fine of up to SAR 500,000 ($133,324) in Saudi Arabia.

High rate of traffic accidents in Kuwait tied to ‘fake car parts’

17th July 2016

(MENAFN – Arab Times) Deaths recorded in motor accidents in Kuwait reached 429 in 2015 while 461 cases were recorded in 2014. In this context, several citizens and expatriates have attributed the high rate of traffic accidents in Kuwait to widespread of fake car parts.

A Kuwaiti man Ali Jaber asserted that fake car parts from China and Korea as well as some Arab countries have flooded the Kuwaiti market in an unbelievable manner. He stressed that many motorists are forced (sic? Ed) to buy fake parts considering the high cost of the originals, knowing well it is detrimental to the performance of their cars and shortens their lifespan.

“I never source for fake parts for my cars no matter the condition, in order to avoid putting myself in danger of accidents. Another respondent Subhi Imam indicated he sometimes purchases fake car parts because the original is expensive. He cited a particular spare part sold is for about KD 12 but he gets the fake one for KD 2 or less. In his comment, Mohamed Abdul Ali said his cousin burnt the interior of his car about two years ago because he used a fake electrical part, and the end result was deadly.

Also, mechanical engineer Adel Al-Hamoud indicated the widespread of fake car parts in Kuwait is a dangerous trend. He premised his account on the fact that materials used in manufacturing fake spare parts are recycled more than once, and they are not clean. Therefore, they are easy to break.

Vietnam: Motorbikes culpable for most HCM City traffic accidents

Scene of a traffic accident in Hồ Chí Minh City in June. – VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY – Motorbikes were the main cause of traffic accidents in HCM City in the first six months of the year, a meeting on traffic safety heard Tuesday afternoon. The meeting was co-organised by the National Traffic Safety Committee and HCM City’s Traffic Safety Board to discuss efforts to ensure traffic safety in the southern city.

Speaking at the meeting, Nguyễn Ngọc Tường, vice chairman of the Traffic Safety Board, said, of the 1,830 road accidents in the city in the first half of the year, motorbike accidents accounted for 75.5 per cent, while accidents involving trucks and cars were 7.9 per cent and 10.3 per cent respectively.

The number of fatalities was 396, including deaths from road and railway accidents, a 14 per cent increase from the same period last year. Tường said the situation was getting worse because the city had held many festivals during the first six months and the use of individual transportation vehicles had risen strongly.

“An average of 850 new motorbikes and 180 new cars are registered per day,” he said.

At the meeting, the city’s traffic police proposed increasing the number of surveillance cameras and devices to measure blood and breath alcohol concentration, as well as increasing personnel to handle traffic law violations captured on camera.

Deputy Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Khuất Việt Hùng said, to address the problem, HCM City needed to establish an inter-sector inspection team to handle traffic accident hotspots.

Raising public awareness of traffic safety was also a pressing issue, he said.

Bus accident injures 12 in Ras Al Khaimah

MENAFN – Khaleej Times – 14/07/2016

Twelve workers injured after a bus they were travelling in veered off the road and rammed into a palm tree here on Wednesday morning .Col Ali Saeed Al Alkeem, Director of Traffic and Patrols Department at RAK Police, said the central operations room was alerted about the accident at 7.30am on Wednesday.”All the workers in the bus sustained several injuries and fractures, some of which were medium and others were serious,” Col Al Alkeem added.The 12 Asian workers were shifted to the nearest hospital in a record time as the traffic patrols, ambulances, paramedics, and rescue teams rushed to the site.

“Initial assessment shows bus driver was so inattentive that he lost control over the steering wheel and caused the accident.”The accident file was referred to the traffic prosecution for due legal action.”All drivers are urged to attentive on the road, and never distract their attention with anything while on the wheel.”Col Alkeem said that the emirate has seen 218 traffic accidents during the Eid Al Fitr holidays.

“Three people were killed in three separate accidents and five others were injured; two received serious wounds, two medium, and one minor.””The cars involved in these mishaps veered off the road, and turned over several times.”As per a tougher unified traffic law with higher fines and a black points system enacted in 2008, erring motorists across the UAE will be penalised with up to 24 black points, following which they lose their driving license.

Driving callously costs the driver Dh2,000, 12 black points, as well as the impoundment of the vehicle for 30 days, he warned.”Not carrying a driving license or using a horn in a disturbing way draws a fine of Dh100.”All members of the society have to observe traffic rules “particularly the speed limit on all internal roads and highways,” Col Alkeem said.

Accidents: Why blame car makers alone?

July 14, 2016 11:30 IST

With the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme coming into effect from October next year, Indian carmakers will have no option but to manufacture safer cars, says Shyamal Majumdar.

Two-wheelers accounted for the highest share of road accidents at 28.8% in 2015. In fact, the share has been increasing steadily from 26.3% in 2013 and 27.3% in 2014.

It was in 2009 that India earned the dubious distinction of the “accident capital of the world”, courtesy the first-ever Global Status Report on Road Safety by the World Health Organization (WHO). The label is not without reason: an average of 15 people die every hour in road accidents in the country. WHO has estimated that India accounts for one per cent of the world’s vehicles and 10 per cent of its road fatalities.

What was being talked in hushed tones till a couple of years back became a matter of intense debate after Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) crash-tested popular entry-level Indian cars, almost all of which failed the test.

The test was repeated this year and the results were hardly different. While several automakers cried foul and floated conspiracy theories, no one could deny that India was the only one in the top 10 car markets in the world that did not have an NCAP. All that is going to change now with the country coming up with the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme.

The new regime, scheduled to begin from October 1, 2017, mandates that all new cars will have to get safety ratings. Those that are already present in the market have been given a deadline of October 1, 2019. These norms are welcome as Indian carmakers will have no option but to manufacture safer cars.

But that brings us to a related question: will a mandatory crash test norm for cars help solve the problem of road accidents in the country? Or, to put it bluntly, are we putting a disproportionate blame on India’s carmakers? The answer lies in some of the figures put out by the research wing of the ministry of road and highways transport.

An analysis of road accidents in urban and rural areas for calendar year 2015 shows that rural areas are more prone to accidents. While rural areas account for 53.8 per cent of the total number of road accidents, urban areas have 46.2 per cent share. In fatal accidents, the share of rural areas is even higher at 61.3 per cent, compared to 38.7 per cent of urban India. This calls for a significant improvement in rural infrastructure to reduce accidents, the ministry says.

There is more to suggest that it’s perhaps unfair to make cars the only villain of the piece. While motorised vehicles accounted for 95.5 per cent of the total road accidents, two-wheelers accounted for the highest share at 28.8 per cent in 2015, followed by cars, jeeps and taxis at 23.6 per cent. In fact, the share of two-wheelers has been increasing steadily from 26.3 per cent in 2013 and 27.3 per cent in 2014.

This shows it’s two-wheelers, and not cars, that have the most vulnerable and unprotected road users in the country.

In its obsession with cars, the government has perhaps forgotten to focus on this aspect and bring out an integrated policy on reducing road accidents in the country. Then there is the issue of dealing with the rampant corruption in doling out driving licences and the absence of a proper policy on skilling and training of drivers. After all, driver faults accounted for 77 per cent of total accidents – 72.6 per cent of the total number of persons killed and 80.3 per cent of the total number of persons injured.

Many experts also say roads in India are never built with safety prioritised over speed or convenience, with low urban speed-limits, pedestrian zones and barriers that separate cars from bikes and oncoming traffic.

But almost all the money that is spent on building roads in India go on asphalt and almost none on safety, so the roads that are supposed to make everyone’s life comfortable bring grief, too. It’s not a problem typical of India alone. Studies have shown how across the developing world, laws and safety measures are failing to keep up with population growth, urbanisation and rising car use. The irony is it’s not that expensive as just one-three per cent of the construction budget is often enough to make a road much safer.

WHO has calculated that enforcing speed limits and drunk-driving laws in South-East Asia would cost just 18 cents per person per year. It’s obvious that car manufacturers and their lobby, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), should immediately end their current state of denial and inform the public about their road map for meeting globally accepted car safety standards.

But an equally strong argument would be that a better certification and testing process alone won’t do any good. An integrated view needs to be taken to understand as to how many fatalities are due to head-on collisions and other factors such as road conditions, driver behaviour, traffic conditions, enforcement and overloading, among others.

And silence is not necessarily golden as far as two-wheelers are concerned.

Pokemon Go: Major Highway Accident After Man Stops In Middle Of Highway To Catch Pikachu!

14th July 2016

MASSACHUSETTS– 26 Year-Old Lamar Hickson is accused of causing one of the worst highway accidents after stopping in the middle of the highway to catch a Pikachu.

Lamar Hickson admitted to police that he was playing the newly released Pokemon app game know as “Pokemon Go” while driving. He said “Sh*t if you wanna catch them all you gotta risk it all so I put my car in park and started tossing these balls”.

Charges against Hickson are still unknown, nobody was seriously hurt but this raises concerns about future accidents. We spoke to one of the car accident victims and he also says he was also playing the game.

We spoke the officers Fredrick Jones who says “Texting and driving was already a very serious issue, but now playing Pokemon Go and driving could make things worse.” He said this could double or triple the amount of incidents that happen due to driving while using a mobile device.

13 killed in accident in Rajasthan’s Sirohi

8th July 2016

Thirteen persons were killed and at least four injured when a truck rammed into a bus near Sirohi in southern Rajasthan. “The incident occurred in the morning today (Thursday) near Paldi M Village in Sirohi district when a speeding truck-trailer hit a parked bus. The collision was so strong that the bus overturned and fell on some of the passengers standing near it.

At least nine people lost their lives on the spot while four died later,” a police official said. He said that four persons who were seriously injured have been referred to a hospital in Udaipur. “Prima facie it looks like a case of speeding and negligent driving. But we can only arrive at a definite conclusion after detailed investigation,” the police official said. The state government has announced compensation of Rs 50,000 each for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 5,000-10,000 each for the injured.

Traffic accidents kill 77 over first 5 days of Eid holiday in Turkey

DAILY SABAH ISTANBUL 7th July 2016

This year’s Ramadan Bayram holiday is once again turning out to be one that is dominated by deaths on the road, with 77 people killed in collisions across the country in just the first 5 days of the 9-day holiday.

With the government’s decision to declare Monday and Friday off as well in additition to the three-day Ramadan Bayram, or Eid al-Fitr from Tuesday to Thursday, mnay ravellers set off Friday July 1 to get to their destinations.

As of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, 77 people lost their lives and 221 people were injured in traffic accidents on highways across the country.

The biggest accident happened on Sunday when 26 people were killed and 72 were injured in an accident.

Nationwide holidays in Turkey are usually marred by a spike in the number of road deaths despite prominent warnings from the authorities about the dangers of reckless driving. Last year, nearly 70 died on Turkey’s roads during the Ramadan holiday.

Travelers spend their vacation either in vacation resorts in southern Turkey or visit their parents or children living in other cities. Though most Turks, especially middle-class households prefer to spend their vacation with parents or children in other cities, the tourism sector, which was affected by a shortage of tourists after terror attacks in the southeast and strained ties with Russia this season, hopes that holidaymakers will help a boost in declining revenues.

Experts warned drivers to be patient and attentive so as to not cause accidents. According to statistics, most accidents occur during a trip’s early hours or once travelers near their destination.

Experts list a number of measures for drivers to avoid accidents and minimize the damage accidents inflict. Measures include wearing comfortable clothes, undertaking thorough maintenance of vehicles before traveling and avoiding carrying heavy suitcases on board vehicles. Experts also urge motorists to take a 30-minute break every three hours while on long trips and warn against driving while drowsy.

Most accidents stem from speeding, with people rushing to make it to their destination as soon as possible to spend their holiday there as long as possible.

Authorities took measures against traffic accidents, which are common during Eid travel. All members of the Turkish National Police’s traffic department are working throughout eid, while police officers from other units were authorized to inspect of cars and motorists.

Traffic Accidents Kill 172 in Five-Day Lebaran Exodus

Jakarta. The National Police’s traffic unit head Insp. Gen. Agung Budi Maryoto said on Tuesday (07/05) at least 172 people have been killed in traffic accidents during the five-day Lebaran exodus, noting that the figure is significantly lower than last year.

“In five days from Tuesday last week, we recorded 856 traffic accidents,” Agung told Detik.com in Jakarta. Agung said last year there were 1,022 accidents and 299 fatalities. According to Agung, most of the fatalities this year — and last year — were motorcyclists.

“We advise those who travel on motorcycles to start their trip early in the morning and avoid riding at night. The roads are too dark at night and you will lose concentration faster,” Agung said.

Around 1.6 million cars have left the capital since last week as approximately 17 million people traveled to their hometown to celebrate Idul Fitri. This has caused a massive traffic gridlock at the Brebes toll gate in Central Java — the end of the toll road from Jakarta.

In Jakarta, meanwhile, traffic was considerably lighter with many residents having left already on their Lebaran holiday.

Cambodia: Traffic Accidents ‘Destroy Lives, Property and Dignity’

04 July 2016 Dy Khamboly VOA Khmer

According to a 2013 study by Handicap International, traffic accidents cost the government $337 million that year, equal to about 3 percent of gross domestic product.

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in Cambodia, destroying not only lives but also public spirit, dignity, property and national development efforts, a road safety expert told the Hello VOA call-in program on June 29.

In 2015, traffic accidents killed 2,265 people and injured more than 15,000 people, 40 percent of whom were seriously injured, said Ear Chariya, director of the Institute for Road Safety.

Although there was a 10 percent drop in deaths during the first six months of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, traffic accidents remain the leading killer in Cambodia and one of the major challenges for national development, he added.

According to a 2013 study by Handicap International, traffic accidents cost the government $337 million that year, equal to about 3 percent of gross domestic product. Chariya explained that this cost includes the destruction of vehicles and roads, administrative costs such as medical expenses and other related health-care expenses, court service fees, and non-productivity costs.

The dramatic costs of traffic accidents create a number of difficult consequences for families and society at large, he said. The provision of medical treatments and other health-care services is a huge burden for the government, with some of the injured needing treatment of up to three months or over a year, while others become permanently disabled.

He added that some seriously injured victims need physical rehabilitation services which take time and are very costly.

The physical damage destroys victims’ mentality and spiritual strength, said Chariya, adding that it affects the mental health of both victims and family members who are indirect victims.

Traffic accident victims sometimes develop mental illnesses and suffer other psychological effects because of the losses of parts of the body and self-image.

Victims who develop serious mental health problem need counseling services which are currently inadequate and expensive in Cambodia. Moreover, some children become orphans due to the deaths of their parents, and this circumstance shapes their future lives, he added.

Chariya claimed that traffic accidents significantly disrupt the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals, the first of which is to “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.” More than 80 percent of the dead are men between the age of 15 and 35 years old. Most of them are the bread winners in their households, the losses of which create financial instability for many victim families.

A traffic accident in Phnom Penh, in June 2016. (Courtesy Photo)

According to research conducted in 2010, traffic accidents cause a 21 percent reduction in the earnings for middle-income families.

For low-income families, the effect is even more severe. Chariya explained that some low-income families spend years trying to pay off debts they incur as a result of accidents. The destruction of the motorbikes in traffic accidents costs them dearly as they have often sold land and cattle to afford the vehicles. “They fall into poverty in a blink,” he said.

Traffic accidents also have a strong impact on education, he said. When the heads of the families die or become disabled, children often drop out of school to help ease the burden on the family. Research shows that the drop-out rate increases to 30 percent among the victims’ families.

“If our country has a number of drivers who do not respect traffic signs and lights, they [tourists] can judge at least on the surface that our country is full of law abusers,” he said.

“It also shows the government’s inability to enforce [traffic] laws, an ineffective judicial system and corruption.”

Christchurch bus driver sentenced following fatal accident

A Christchurch bus driver who ran a red light and crashed into a car, killing a female passenger, has today been sentenced to 200 hours of community work for his fatal “moment of inattention”.

Lindsay John Taylor, 62, was driving a Red Bus with fare-paying passengers on Christchurch’s Kilmore St at about 8pm on October 4 last year. As he approached the Colombo St-Kilmore St intersection, he thought the light was green, he would later tell police. But it had turned red and as Taylor illegally drove through, the bus ploughed into a car.

Passenger Trish Anne Beets, 44, was fatally injured and died at the scene – just 1km from her home. The driver, her flatmate, was hospitalised for six days with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and severe bruising.

Taylor earlier pleaded guilty to charges of causing death and injury by careless driving. Today, at Christchurch District Court, Ms Beet’s only child, Chloe Beets said she is no longer sad, but angry at Taylor who she says has never apologised for his actions. The last few months have been the hardest of her life and she still has nightmares, she said in an emotional victim impact statement.

She is angry that her mother never enjoyed becoming a grandmother, and is angry that it took Taylor so long to admit he was in the wrong and that it meant the driver spent so many weeks second guessing himself over whether he was responsible for causing his best friend’s death.

17 killed in road accidents in Pakistan

Karachi At least 17 people including five of a same family have been killed in two separate road accidents in Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces. The first incident reported from the southwest Balochistan province late last night where 12 people were killed and 29 others injured when the passenger bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge near Khuzdar city.

The bus was negotiating a sharp turn when it overturned some 40 kilometres away from Khuzdar city. Police and rescue officials were rushed to the spot to carry out relief and rescue operation. All the 29 injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. The second accident took place yesterday in the Southeast Sindh province where a dumper fell on a coaster van near Hala area, killing five persons of the same family.

Balochistan has witnessed several major traffic accidents in the recent past. At least 35 people were killed in March 2014 in a collision between two passenger buses and a petrol tanker near Hub area, with many of the victims being burned alive. Another 11 people were killed and more than 24 others sustained injuries in October, 2014 when a passenger coach collided with a truck in Lasbela district.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A road accident in southern Iran has killed 19 people when a bus plunged into a ravine.

22nd June 2016

The official IRNA news agency says that at least 30 other passengers were injured in the accident early Wednesday, which took place on a major road linking the southern cities of Shiraz and Kerman. It happened around 1:30 a.m.

The report says the injured were taken to local hospitals. IRNA says that an hour later, a bus flipped over on a road, also near Shiraz, injuring 47 people.

Iran has one of the world’s worst traffic safety records, with more than 400,000 accidents and nearly 18,000 deaths on its roads every year.

The high death tolls are blamed on unsafe vehicles, widespread disregard of traffic laws and inadequate emergency services.

Five dead, 23 injured in Slovak bus crash in Serbia

Serbia June 21, 2016.

A Slovak bus bringing holidaymakers home from the Greek island of Corfu, is pictured after it swerved off a highway near the town of Aleksinac, REUTERS/STRINGER

Five people died and 23 were injured early on Tuesday when a Slovak bus bringing holidaymakers home from the Greek island of Corfu swerved off a highway in southern Serbia, officials said. Slovak media said all the dead were Slovaks.

The injured were being treated in hospitals in the towns of Aleksinac and Nis, about 200 km (120 miles) south of Belgrade, the Serbian interior ministry said. The Slovak daily Dennik N said the bus was carrying 29 passengers and two drivers, including 12 Czech citizens and a number of Hungarians.

The Slovak interior ministry said it was ready to send a government plane to Serbia to bring home some passengers and another on Wednesday to evacuate those with more serious injuries. Serbian police said the bus swerved off the highway linking Serbia with Macedonia and Greece.

Motorists urged to be extra careful, as concentration rates drop during fasting

Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

One of the several accidents that occurred in Dubai this Ramadan as some drivers resort to speeding and reckless driving just before iftar.

Dubai: Eight people died and 12 others were injured in traffic incidents since the beginning of Ramadan on June 6, Dubai Police said on Sunday.

Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, Director of Dubai Traffic Police, said there were 26 traffic incidents between June 6 and 16, in which 40 vehicles were involved. Of the 12 injured, one was seriously injured, while six people sustained moderate injuries, and five sustained minor injuries. “Of the 26 accidents, 17 were cases of vehicles crashing into each other or into objects, five were run-over accidents, and four involved a vehicle overturning,” he said.

During last Ramadan, Dubai Police recorded 201 serious accidents that resulted in 10 deaths and 147 injuries. Out of the 147 injuries, 19 were severe, 35 moderate and 93 minor.

On the first day of Ramadan, Dubai Police recorded 250 accidents, of which only two were serious. The police operations room had also received 2,419 calls between 7.30am and 2.30pm that day.

People can report violators through the Dubai Police app ‘We are all police’ or by calling 8004353.

Iftar drive launched to prevent accidents

FOUZIA KHAN| Published — Wednesday 15 June 2016

More than 900 young volunteers have been distributing the meals, including to poor people, and will continue to do so throughout Ramadan. (SPA)

JEDDAH: Volunteers have been handing out 3,000 meals on the streets of Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to motorists every day since the start of Ramadan as part of a campaign to prevent them from rushing home and causing traffic accidents at iftar.
The campaign entitled “Your Iftar on Us” is now in its fifth year and is supported by Panorama FM Radio and National Commercial Bank. More than 900 young volunteers have been distributing the meals, including to poor people, and will continue to do so throughout Ramadan.

Basma Jawhree, the director of NCB’s social responsibility program, said there are many accidents in Ramadan when traffic congestion increases and people tend to become anxious and lose concentration.

Jawhree said the aim is also to develop a culture of volunteering to gain reward in the holy month. The results of the previous campaigns were successful, with volunteers able to educate motorists on obeying the law. There would be 90,000 meals distributed during Ramadan.

She said Panorama FM is presenting religious programs throughout the holy month, with correspondents working directly from the field, from six to seven every evening.Ziad Hamzeh, director general of the radio and technical office of MBC, said that the goal of Panorama FM is to create awareness of traffic rules to avoid accidents, especially at iftar. Director of Asir Traffic Col. Abdullah bin Howeiz said traffic accidents increases before Iftar during the holy month because many people are in a hurry.

Saudi: Poor laws, bad roads behind tragedies.

ARAB NEWS|Published — Wednesday 15 June 2016

CONCERNS: Saudi Arabia stands second in the Arab world after Libya, and 23rd globally, in terms of increased rates of road deaths. (SPA)

JEDDAH: Poor traffic laws, the lack of enough punishment, and poor engineering of roads were described as the main causes of an increase in fatal traffic accidents from a recent survey conducted by a local newspaper. Of participants in the survey, 33 percent said lack of sufficient penalties were to blame while 24 percent cited poor traffic regulations, 22 percent cited drivers using social media, and 21 percent cited poor engineering of roads.
Saudi Arabia came second in the Arab world after Libya, and 23rd globally, in terms of increased rates of road deaths.

Earlier this month, the committee on traffic safety in the Eastern Province announced statistics on serious traffic incidents and their locations as well as statistics on traffic violations in the region.

The statistics show the number of serious accidents rose during the first half of 1436 A.H.
The accidents resulted in 676 deaths and 3,105 serious injuries, increasing the death toll by 12 percent and the number of injuries by one percent. The figures also showed a remarkable number of injuries due to serious accidents in cities, an increase of 31 percent, resulting in 36 percent more deaths and 27 percent more injuries.

The Eastern Province witnessed a noticeable decline of 22 percent in the number of serious highway accidents during the first half of 1437 A.H. which contributed to a 17 percent reduction in serious injuries in highway accidents. Accidents on highways outside the region, however, resulted in a three percent increase in the death toll.

Hafr Al-Batin and Abqaiq had the highest increase in rates of deaths and injuries in traffic accidents, while Al-Ahsa and Jubail saw a decline in injuries and deaths from such accidents.

In its annual report, the World Health Organization noted that road accidents claim 1.2 million lives worldwide annually, 90 percent of which occur in developing countries despite the fact that these countries have only 54 percent of the total number of cars in the world. According to the report, the main causes behind road accidents are absence of laws and regulations to control driving behavior and speed in these countries, and lack of proper road planning.

Road accidents are the main cause of deaths of youths aged 15 to 29, while governments incur costs of about three percent of GDP, the report indicated. Africa has the highest rates of road deaths, while Europe has the lowest. The global average rate of deaths is 17.5 per 100,000 people, which generally decreases in high- and middle-income countries, and rises in low-income countries.

In contrast to this global trend, however, the report indicated that high-income countries in the Middle East have increasing rates of road accidents due to the inability of these countries to advance and develop road and traffic rules to comply with rapid economic growth and increases in the number of vehicles.

India: Over 146,000 people died in road accidents in 2015

13th June 2016

WARNING: Pedestrian fatality in Delhi. Click Image to watch.

Below: Rescue workers examine the accident scene on the Mumbai-Pune expressway near Shedung Panvel, that left 17 people dead and 28 injured, on June 5, 2016. AFP / STR

New Delhi: India’s transport ministry admitted Thursday it has so far failed to improve road safety but said it was pushing for stricter laws, as new figures revealed 146,133 people died in 501,423 road accidents in 2015, an increase of almost five percent from 2014, while half a million more were injured.

Transport minister Nitin Gadkari acknowledged an urgent need to improve road infrastructure as the numbers showed traffic accidents were one of the single biggest causes of death in India. The report found 17 people die in traffic accidents every hour.

Nearly eight in ten accidents were caused by drivers, with 62 percent of those blamed on speeding. “Accidents are killing more people in India than terrorism or natural disasters and yet we never talk about them,” Gadkari said at a press conference to mark the release of the report.

“It saddens me that there has been a negligible impact on reducing the number of deaths despite our best efforts in the past two years,” he said. Gadkari said the ministry was working to expand the country’s highway network from 96,000 to 200,000 kilometres (60,000 to 124,000 miles) to ease the burden on crumbling roads.

Road accidents shave three percent off the country’s GDP every year, the minister said. The ministry said it is focusing on improving poorly designed roads and identifying black spots, and plans to deploy electronic surveillance to deter traffic offences.

It is consulting state governments over a new road safety bill, which will be tabled in the next parliament session. The proposed law would crack down on traffic offences and suggests steep penalties for offenders, including minimum seven-year jail terms in accidents that result in deaths.

Transport analysts blame India’s high numbers of road accidents on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving, as well as inadequate road safety laws. Some 30 percent of Indian driving licences are believed to be fake, the government has said. India owns just one percent of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 15 percent of global traffic deaths, according to the World Bank.

Eleven teachers killed and four others seriously injured

12th June 2016

Passenger van overturned and burst into flames on a highway in Thailand. The teachers were trapped inside the mini bus after it crashed into a concrete barrier on the Chonburi-Bangkok motorway in Chonburi, southeast of Bangkok.

The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle after one of the tires burst at 9pm on Friday night, sending the vehicle hurtling into the wall, reports Pattaya Mail.

The passenger van burst into flames after crashing into a concrete barrier on the Chonburi-Bangkok motorway. The vehicle was reportedly carrying teachers from Kumklao Sakola School in the Min Buri district. Eleven teachers were killed and four others seriously injured after the driver lost control of the mini bus

The interior ministry’s disaster management department confirmed four people managed to get out of the van before it was engulfed in flames.

Highway police are investigating the circumstances that led to the fatal accident, which triggered heavy traffic jams on the busy highway. Thai roads are notorious for speeding and other traffic violations due to laid back patrolling of the roads.

The accident happened on the Chonburi-Bangkok motorway near Panas Nikom tollgate (pictured).

1st Lt Ibrahim Saif Al Mazrouie, Manager of Traffic and Patrols branch at the Daqdaqa police station, said they were informed about the mishap on Thursday around 11am in the morning.”The central operations room of the RAK Police, having been alerted of the accident, dispatched traffic patrols, ambulances, and paramedics to the site in record time.

“Initial enactment of the road accident blamed the accident on the victim who entered the main road without checking first if it was clear, he added.”Unfortunately, a car driven by another Emirati man was coming on the same direction when the victim ”inattentively” entered the main road, and tried hard to avoid collision, but in vain.”The other car rammed into the middle of the victim”s car he noted.

“The couple received serious injuries and bled excessively.”Though the paramedics reached the victims in record time, the impact of the collision was so hard that they could not make it and died on the spot, 1st Lt Mazrouie further added.”The bodies were shifted to the morgue of the nearest hospital for burial as due whereas the accident file was referred to the traffic prosecution for due action.”Urging motorists to be cautious and attentive on the road, Al Mazrouie said all drivers need to make sure that the road is clear before entering.

“Many fatal accidents have been reported for the same reason.”Few days ago, an Arab woman, in her thirties, sustained serious injuries and fractures after being run over by a car driven by an Emirati national here in the emirate.

14-year-old killed in hit and run nearly dies in car accident as a child

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) –New Orleans police are investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident Thursday in New Orleans East that killed a 14-year-old girl, according to police reports.

The victim was identified as Kayla Lagarde.

The accident happened on I-10 westbound near Bullard Avenue at 11:13 p.m.

According to preliminary reports, police say a white four-door Pontiac Grand Am with three occupants, the driver and two passengers, was heading westbound in the right lane about half a mile from the Bullard Avenue exit. They were rear-ended by the driver of a burgundy Nissan Maxima, who then veered into the left lane and struck a black 2012 Dodge Ram truck in the rear right side.

The driver of the Maxima fled the scene on foot.

Lagarde, who was in the left rear seat of the Pontiac, died at the scene. “I’m emotionally drained, it’s like I’m numb, I don’t have no feelings. I’ve cried so much that my eyelids are so sore, I don’t know what it’s gonna be like, because she’s not here,” Shantell Finnie, Lagarde’s mother, said.

The driver of the Pontiac and her front-seat passenger, both females, were taken the hospital in stable condition.

Lagarde’s 21-year old sister said she was taking her younger sister to Brother’s to get a late night snack, but seconds after they got onto the interstate they were hit. “She was so happy, she finally made it into high school, she made the dance team, and she was so excited,” Finnie said. Finnie remarked that Lagarde was no stranger to dangerous accidents.

“Kayla was hit by a driver at the age of two, she was in a body cast, doctors said she wouldn’t make it, but she pulled through,” Finnie said. Now Lagarde’s mother finds it hard to pull through this tragedy, clinging to a necklace her daughter had on when the crash happened.

“Kayla took this chain from me about a month and a half ago and I begged Kayla every day, ‘Kayla, could you give me my chain back,’ and she wouldn’t give it back, but I didn’t want it back like this,” Finnie said tearfully. “If I could switch places with my daughter I would, I would. For her to have second chance.”

The 33-year-old male driver of the Dodge Ram truck and his female passenger were not injured in the accident.

A prayer vigil will be held Saturday at Hardhead Riders Clubhouse in St. Bernard.

15 killed 31 injured as bus plunges into ravine in Brazil

Observer Online Desk Published :Thursday, 9 June, 2016,

Sao Paulo: A bus lost control and plunged into a ravine in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state Wednesday night, killing at least 15 and injuring 31, most of them students, authorities said.

The accident happened about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the country’s economic capital when the driver lost control of the bus carrying 46 passengers and crashed into a rock in the opposite lane.

The impact caused the vehicle to overturn and fall into a ravine, rescue services said. The driver was among the dead, several media outlets reported.

The students were from three schools in the town of Mogi das Cruzes and were headed to the coastal town of Sao Sebastiao in dark and foggy conditions, according to the Globo G1 news network.

About 43,000 people die each year on Brazil’s roads with accidents surging by 24 percent between 2002-2012. Before the country’s economic boom cooled about 10,000 new cars took to the roads each day.

One of the deadliest accidents happened in March 2015 when 54 people died after the bus they were traveling on to a religious event failed to make a curve and fell 400 meters (more than 1300 feet) down a steep bank in the south eastern state of Santa Catarina.

Continental releases tips to ensure driving safety during Ramadan

9th June 2016

Coinciding with the arrival of Ramadan and its associated shift in traffic patterns in the region, German tyre maker Continental has released a set of driving tips to highlight the need to exercise caution.

At a time when people in the Middle East are even more focused on self-control and generosity, the holy month also provides an opportunity for drivers to reflect on and improve their own behaviour on the roads.

By developing a series of driving tips tailored to the region, Continental endeavours to help drivers lower the number of road traffic accidents and ultimately achieve their goal of Vision Zero, a campaign to achieve zero fatalities, zero injuries and zero accidents.

Preventable death: Globally, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of preventable death, claiming more than 1.2 million lives per year, according to the World Health Organisation in a recent report on the global status of road safety. The third such report conducted by the UN’s ’ health agency, provides startling data on road traffic injuries.

The Middle East has one of the highest rates of road traffic fatalities, with estimated rates of 12.8, 10.9, and 27.4 deaths resulting from road accidents per 100,000 population in Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia respectively. This is in stark comparison to countries leading international standards for road safety such as Sweden (2.8), the UK(2.9) and the Netherlands (3.4).

With rising temperatures in the Middle East region, and the potential of additional side effects for those fasting during Ramadan, drivers need to be especially careful. Additionally, traffic patterns that see the number of cars on the roads soar as people travel to break their fast at Iftar, present drivers with a greater need than usual to consider a number of skills and demonstrate certain attitudes while driving.

Continental recommends:

Avoiding the overuse of cruise control as the lack of engagement can lead to a drowsy driver losing concentration at the wheel, especially making long journeys in the hours before Iftar, when blood sugar levels and hydration are naturally at their lowest when fasting.

Avoiding driving one hour before sunset, where possible, as people may be driving at higher speeds, rushing home in time for Iftar.

Having consistent meal times and a regular exercise routine. This will help adjustment to an altered schedule and reduce the possibility of tiredness while driving.

Using a windscreen sunshade and turning the steering wheel 180 degrees before getting out of the car. This ensures that the side held while driving is safely in the shade. The windscreen shade works to keep the car interior cooler, lowering the risk of dehydration.

Ensuring your car is parked safely at prayer time, so that it does not impede traffic flow, as this can lead to congestion and accidents.

Staying alert for roadside pedestrians as many people may be distributing free beverages and meals to drivers during Iftar.

Being visible on the roads by ensuring that headlights, taillights, and signal lights are clean and working properly. With dust storms more prevalent in the summer, windows and lights are liable to have a covering of thick dust, potentially impairing vision and visibility.

Checking tyre pressure when the vehicle is cold for an accurate reading. Tyres will warm up while driving, which naturally increases pressure.

Keeping a safe distance by maintaining a sufficient gap of two to three seconds from the vehicle in front, extending that time to four seconds for motorcycles and allowing for slower reaction times for tired drivers.

Road accident in Saudi Arabia kills 15, injures 60

Tuesday, June 07, 2016

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A Saudi Red Crescent spokesman said a road accident involving a bus and a truck killed 15 people and left 60 injured.

Abdullah al-Moreibedh said the accident took place on the road between the capital, Riyadh, and al-Qassim on Monday evening. The crash also set off a fire on the bus.

He said two helicopter ambulances took part in the evacuation of the injured, five of whom are in critical condition.

Al-Moreibedh didn’t say what caused the accident nor give the nationalities of the victims.

The Saudi Health Ministry said traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among young people in the kingdom. The ministry says 17 people are killed in road accidents each day in Saudi Arabia. (AP)

At Least 14 Killed As Turkish Bus Plunges Into Canal

June 06, 2016

Pictures published by Turkish media showed a crane hoisting the bus out of the water watched by horrified onlookers.

ISTANBUL: At least fourteen people were killed in southern Turkey on Sunday when a bus carrying schoolchildren on an excursion plunged off the road and into a canal, reports said.

The bus had been bringing the pupils back from an excursion to the well-known archaeological site of Karatepe outside the city of Osmaniye when it flipped over into the canal, the Dogan news agency reported.

It said that the driver had lost control of the vehicle and an investigation was underway.

Twenty four people were being treated for injuries in hospital. Of those killed, three were female pupils, three were boys and eight were adults, it said.

Pictures published by Turkish media showed a crane hoisting the bus out of the water watched by horrified onlookers.

17 dead 30 injured in accident near Panvel on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

June 05, 2016

IMAGE: Police inspect near the ill-fated bus which met with an accident at Panvel on Mumbai-Pune expressway, in Mumbai. Photographs: PTI

Seventeen people were killed and around 30 others were injured near Panvel on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway on Sunday morning as three vehicles — two cars and a bus — fell into a ditch after the bus rammed one of the cars.

The mishap took place at around 5.30 am, said Navi Mumbai police. According to the police, a car was standing on the road as it had a flat tyre, and MUV, standing was behind it. Passengers in the MUV had stopped to help those in the first car.

IMAGE: Damaged vehicles after the accident at Panvel on Mumbai-Pune expressway.

While the two vehicles had halted, a private tourist bus came from behind and rammed the MUV, which in turn rammed into the car. The three vehicles plunged into a 20ft deep road-side ditch. All the three vehicles were coming from Pune.

SAUDI ARABIA: EP records increase in RTA’s

DAMMAM: The Traffic Department in the Eastern Province (EP) has reported 676 deaths and 3,105 critical injuries in 2,104 accidents over the past six months. “That is an increase of one percent in comparison to the same period in 2015 when the department recorded a total of 2,090 accidents,” Sultan Al-Zahrani, general secretary of the traffic safety committee, said. He was speaking at a meeting of the committee headed by the Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif.

Al-Zahrani said: “The rate of fatalities increased by 12 percent and the rate of injuries increased by one percent in comparison to the same period in 2015. “In addition, 31 percent of the accidents were in the city where the rate of fatalities rose by 36 percent and the rate of critical injuries rose by 27 percent.”

He said the rate of highway accidents in the province dropped by 22 percent, with the rate of critical injuries from highway accidents decreased by 17 percent, while the rate of deaths in such accidents outside the province surged by three percent.” He said the highest number of deaths and injuries was in Hafr Al-Batin and Abqaiq with the lowest being in Al-Ahsa and Jubail.

Al-Zahrani said the rate of traffic violations decreased by 30 percent, and the rate of road violations decreased by 32 percent, while the rate of recorded road violations increased by 32 percent. Prince Saud urged members of the committee to put increase efforts in order to achieve the committee’s strategic objective, which is reducing the number of serious accidents and their causes, and thus decreasing the number of deaths and injuries.
He said that there must be serious attempts made to curb accidents in order to save lives and property.

Prince Saud also asked the authorities to overcome all difficulties and support the committee in order to achieve its desired goals; he stressed the need to work with professionalism as traffic safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Costly Fines Insufficient To Lower Deaths On Costa Rica’s Roads

31 May 2016

Improper passing, speeding and driving under the influence are the main cause of fatal traffic accidents.

Scenes like the 2104 accident on the Ruta 27 (San Jose – Caldera) that left three dead are common on Costa Rica’s roads. Fines and even the threat of jail for drinking and driving and excessive speeding have not had effect on reducing the carnage. Photo Alnso Tenorio, La Nacion

COSTARICA – Improper passing, speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs continue to be the main cause of fatal traffic accidents in Costa Rica.

What is clear to authorities is that the severe fines introduced in the reforms of the Ley de Transito (Traffic Act) of 2010 and 2012 have had little effect in changing the behaviour of drivers on Costa Rica’s roads.

The high fines set by Legislators in the first reform of the Traffic Act were deemed “disproportionate” by Constitutional Court, reduced to the current fines.

For example, driving under the influence comes with a fine of ¢280.000 colones ($520), and even a criminal penalty (with jail time) for a higher degree of intoxication, but it has not reduced the driving and driving problem.

Before the reforms, a typical fine for speeding, for example, was ¢5.000 ($9). Now, although the fine is ten, fifteen or twenty times or more, and even jail for driving at speeds of 150 km/h or higher, it has had no effect on drivers using Costa Rica’s poorly designed and maintained roads as a superhighway. Although they are called “autopistas”, there are no highways in Costa Rica, only “carreteras” (roads).

“The culture remained the same; the population was scared for only a few months,” said Jorge Ruiz Ramos, head of the Division of Forensic Engineering of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ).

In 2013, Judicial officials investigated 124 road deaths. In 2014, the number was 140. For the period of January 1 to December 17, 2015 the Policia de Transito (traffic police) attended to 376 deaths on the roads (from all types of traffic mishaps). That is more than one person, on average, dying on the roads daily.

Sonia Monge, deputy director of the Policia de Transito, expressed a urgent appeal to values and conscience of all, not just the drivers. One of major issues pointed out by the official is missing resources. The Policia de Transito is an effective force of only 763 officials patrolling the entire country. At least another 1.100 are needed to efficiently punish imprudent drivers on the roads, stress traffic authorities,

But the money is nowhere in sight. And because of this, although there are severe penalties in place, drivers feel they will not be penalized for the lack of police on the roads. And they are not wrong. This leads to impunity.

A source close to the Q verified that at night only a handful off traffic officials are on duty, mainly to attend to accidents and other emergencies. On long weekends, for example, manpower is shifted to have a large police presence during peak times.

That means, there are no active patrols at night and other non-peak times. Traffic police spot checks (operativos in Spanish) are infrequent and with the aid of the social networks, they are immediately known. Spot checks by the Fuerza Publica (police), who are empowered to take off the roads drivers under the influence (or driving without license, not having vehicle registration, etc. etc.) are also infrequent.

Driver education is seriously lacking.

William Serrano, judge in the Tribunal Penal de San José is in agreement. Serrano told La Nacion, “negligence and incompetence” mainly of men between 18 and 25 years of age are the cause of most fatal traffic accidents.

Serrano added that the law punishes from six months to eight years in prison for causing a death on the road, but many are resolved through reconciliation through insurance (paying the victim’s family) which leads to few convictions.

Traffic accidents kill 726 in May

MAY 31, 2016

A traffic accident in HCM City.

In May alone, 726 were killed by traffic accidents. (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – As many as 726 people were killed and 1,491 others injured from 1,748 trafficaccidents in May, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee. The figures represent the increase of 106 accidents, 57 dead and 165 injured against last month. Road accidents accounted for 1,720 cases, 707 dead and 1,450 injuries.

For the whole first five months, the number of accidents amounted to 8,374 cases, causing the loss of 3,588 lives and injuring 7,339 people, a reduction of 944 cases, 147 dead and 1,218 injured from the previous year.-VNA

JAILED!! 27th May 2016

Jaguar Land Rover manager Andrew Nay, who smashed his company 4×4 into an oncoming car during a road rage chase paralysing two young sisters, has been jailed at Northampton Crown Court for four years and six months. Katrina (left) and Karlina’s parents said they kept asking “when will we start feeling our legs again?”

Horrifying dashcam footage captures the moment two young sisters were left paralysed by Jaguar Land Rover manager who pulled in front of their family car in road rage chase

Jaguar Land Rover manager Andrew Nay was ‘bullying’ and chasing a car

He made ‘absolutely ridiculous’ right-hand turn and crashed into family car

Shocking dashcam footage shows moment he crossed oncoming traffic

Passengers Katrina and Karlina Raiba, five and eight, were left paralysed

The court heard he was tailgating and ‘bullying’ a woman in a Mazda people carrier moments before the crash on the A509 near Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in October last year.

Sisters Katrina and Karlina Raiba, aged five and eight, right, were left paralysed after Andrew Nay, left, crashed into their family car on the A509 near Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in October last year

Video captured on the family’s dashcam captures Nay’s white Land Rover Discovery 3 recklessly pulling out into their lane, giving father Roberts Raibais no time to swerve out of the way.

Mr Raibais and his wife Renate Raiba, who suffered broken bones in the accident, said Nay had ‘robbed’ their daughters of their active childhoods.

Their lawyer added the girls will now face a ‘lifetime of profound disability’.

Nay, of Corby, Northamptonshire, admitted four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving but denied chasing the Mazda before hitting the victims’ Vauxhall Signum.

Northampton Crown Court heard Nay, who worked as an off-road instructor for Land Rover, had been chasing the Mazda because he believed the driver had cut him up.

Giving evidence, the female Mazda driver said Nay was aggressively tailgating and ‘bullying’ her as he followed her vehicle.

Matthew Rowcliffe, prosecuting, said the woman admitted putting her hand out the window and ‘sticking her middle finger up’ at Nay as he was ‘less than a car length’ away from her vehicle.

The court heard the woman overtook a Mercedes to put a car between the two vehicles but was not able to make much further progress up the road due to heavy traffic.

Road rage: Nay had been chasing the driver of a Mazda people carrier when he made the ‘ridiculous’ turn

Reckless manoeuvre: Nay’s white Land Rover Discovery 3 is seen pulling out in front of oncoming traffic

Seconds from disaster: The company 4×4 pulled in front of the family vehicle while making a right-turn

ent of impact: Nay drove in front of the family car, giving the driver no time to swerve out of the way

Carnage: The video captures what appears to be airbags inflating when the 4×4 smashed into the family car. Fraser Hopes, the driver of the Mercedes, said Nay’s Land Rover then began to tailgate him and in his rear view mirror he could see two men ‘smiling’ and ‘having a laugh’.

Dashcam footage shows Nay later pulling out of his lane as he tried to make a right-turn, crashing into the family car. Witness Leslie Miller, said of the manoeuvre: ‘It was absolutely ridiculous. There was no reason why it couldn’t have waited.’ In evidence, Nay denied chasing the Mazda, saying he had noticed ‘nothing in particular’ during his journey and was turning towards a garden centre in his car when he crashed.

But Judge Adrienne Lucking QC rejected Nay’s testimony, ruling that he crashed while chasing the Mazda. Describing the evidence against Nay as overwhelming, Judge Lucking said the driver had ‘harried’ the people carrier after being prevented from leaving a roundabout on the A14.

The judge told Nay: ‘I have heard evidence from a series of witnesses travelling in the same direction as the Land Rover.’In each case their evidence was given in measured terms, without exaggeration. By contrast I found the defendant’s evidence unconvincing and inconsistent.’

After the ruling, parents Roberts Raibais and Renate Raiba, said their lives had been ‘completely shattered’ by Nay’s actions and that no sentence would be enough.

They said ‘Andrew Nay’s reckless actions had devastating consequences for our two beautiful daughters.

‘Katrina and Karlina were happy, active children and he has robbed them of that. We will never be able to forgive him.

‘Every day they ask ‘when will we start feeling our legs again?’ They think it’s going to get better and it’s too hard to tell them.’

Representing the family, Richard Langton, a serious injury specialist from law firm Slater and Gordon, added: ‘This is one of the most heartbreaking cases I have ever had to deal with.

‘Nay was an experienced driver, yet his complete disregard for other road users has left two innocent children paralysed from the waist down. ‘Because of him Katrina and Karlina face a lifetime of profound disability.’

Nay was remanded in custody and told an immediate custodial sentence will be at the forefront of the court’s mind when he is sentenced on Friday.

5,406 people killed, injured in traffic accidents last year: Minister

25th May 2016

By Akhtar M. Nikzad-KABUL: As many as 1,406 people had died and 4,000 wounded in traffic accidents last year across the country, officials in the ministry of transportation and civil aviation said.

Lack of standard roads and traffic signs were called as the main elements of the casualties.

Deputy transport minister Sayed Wali Sultan said that 2015 was a bloody year of traffic accidents. “Unfortunately, we were witnessing of irritant traffic accidents in various parts of the country that show the regulations need for review and it requires a clear framework to manage the transportation system,” he said, speaking at an occasion of the International Road Safety Week in Kabul.

Afghanistan has high traffic accidents after Bangladesh among the eight South Asian countries. Few weeks ago, 13 passengers died and 75 others injured as the result of bus crashes in Ghazni province. This accident was an irritant incident which had great casualties.

Lack of transportation terminal, unprofessional drivers, lack of traffic signs and insecurity are the main challenges in front of transportation firm in the country. Sayed Wali Sultan said ministry of transport builds terminals in some provinces of the country and would be inaugurated in the near future.

He asked the transportation firms to pay attention over safety of passengers through observation of the trip principles and regulation. “Establishment of the urgent clinic across the highway and engagement of professional drives in transportation firm is the main necessity of the passengers during the trip,” he added.

Masood Ahmad Azizi, Deputy Minister of Interior said in the occasion that insecurity, construction of nonstandard road, lack of traffic signs, over loading of the vehicles are the main factors for increasing road accidents. He added that averagely every year, 1,200 people lose their life and 250 people are injured as the result of irritant traffic accidents in the country.

On the other hand, Head of Roads Observation in Ministry of Public Work, Rayes Khil said that existence of corruption in the high tonnage balance in the ports and increasing the number of trucks resulted to destruction of the roads. “The high tonnage trucks which pass the road create great danger for our roads if government does no pay notice our roads will be destroyed furthermore,” he asserted.

Pakistan: 13 Killed, 10 injured in bus/truck collision in Jhang

JHANG: At least 13 people were killed while 10 others sustained injuries in a road accident when a passenger bus collided with a truck on Khushab road near Nasirabad, Jhang on Saturday.

According to rescue resources, the injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital. The injured included women and children, however their identities are yet to be ascertained.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of lives due to the accident, Radio Pakistan reported . He condoled and sympathised with the bereaved families, and directed authorities to provide the injured with best possible medical care facilities.

Last month, at least seven people died while 16 others were injured in separate road accidents across DI Khan district.

Four of a family died when two motorbikes collided and were then hit by a car on Chashma Road. The family was travelling on one of the motorbikes to Kalor Kot after a visit to a shrine in Bilot Sharif in DI Khan. The deceased were identified as Muhamad Tariq, his wife, Hajra Bibi, their daughter, Kiran Bibi and Hajra Bibi’s mother, Zubaida Bibi.

Separately, a shepherd identified as Sher Zaman Faqir was killed when a speeding car ran him over in Kulachi Mur on DI Khan-Zhob Road.

30 die in two road accidents in Himachal

May 21 2016 INTERNATIONAL India

Thirty die in road accidents in northern India mountains

People gather beside the wreckage of a bus which fell into a gorge near Dalhousie in Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh on Friday.

Two deadly road accidents in Himachal Pradesh killed at least 30 people and injured 24 others, police said yesterday. An overcrowded jeep fell into a gorge 1,000ft-deep early yesterday, killing 13 people in Kinnaur district, police said, about 200km east of state capital Shimla.

“Thirteen people have died and one is injured. Ten of them were from one village,” Surinder Mohan, a local police officer, said of the accident. It followed a separate tragedy late Friday when a passenger minibus bus swerved off a hilly road into a gorge, killing 17 and injuring 23 in the state’s Chamba district. “Seven people died on the spot and the rest died on their way to and in the hospital. Many are critically injured,” Ajay Parashar, a police officer said.

In another accident in Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, six people were killed when their jeep collided with a truck while returning from Ujjain’s Simhasta Kumbh Mela yesterday.
Nine were injured in the accident that occurred near Kulhari village on the Agra-Mumbai National Highway.

About 350 people die every day on India’s roads – more than any other country – with those under 18 and two-wheeler riders most vulnerable, according to various data.
An Airbus A-320 carries roughly 180 passengers, so the daily death toll on India’s roads is almost double that figure.

“If (two) planes full of people crashed every day, wouldn’t the situation get more attention,” asked Piyush Tiwari, founder and president of Save LIFE, an advocacy that has used Right-To-Information queries to collect traffic-death data. Indians under 18 years constitute 11.93 % of traffic fatalities, according to a 2014 Save LIFE RTI query.

The toll primarily stems from rash driving, below-global-standards roads and a shunning of safety – either deliberately or through ignorance.In February Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told parliament that 130,000 people die in 500,000 accidents on Indian roads.

17 Taiwan tourists injured in train-bus crash in Switzerland

BERLIN (AP) — Seventeen tourists from Taiwan were injured when a German high-speed train collided with a tour bus in the Swiss lakeside town of Interlaken, Swiss police and a Taiwanese official said Saturday.

Police in the nearby Swiss capital of Bern said in a statement the accident happened Friday night at a railway crossing involving a bus registered in neighboring Austria. Police were investigating the cause of the accident.

Bern police spokesman Nicolas Kessler said none of the injured had sustained life-threatening injuries and most had already left a hospital. Taiwan’s CNA news agency reported that 12 people sustained minor injuries and another five were in critical condition.

A spokeswoman for the Taiwan mission in Geneva said Taiwanese diplomats were working to get details and reaching out to the tourists to provide translation and other consular services. Donatella Del Vecchio, a spokeswoman for the Swiss railway operator, said no one inside the train that began in Berlin was injured and train services resumed after a brief interruption.

Expatriates cannot leave UAE without paying traffic fine

By Web DeskMay 18, 2016 11:14

The authorities intend to intensify penalties against road offenders by scrapping a long-standing 50 per cent cut in fines, mainly speeding.

The authorities intend to intensify penalties against road offenders by scrapping a long-standing 50 per cent cut in fines, mainly speeding.

“We have decided to cancel the 50 per cent cut in the traffic fines within two months. We are also planning to take severe measures against reckless drivers who commit offences exceeding Dh10,000,” said Brigadier Hussein Ahmed Al Harthi, Director-General of Central Operations, Abu Dhabi Police.

Quoted by local newspapers, he said the offences would be linked to other local departments and to the immigration and airport so expatriates who commit offences would be barred from leaving the UAE before paying fines.

Police said offenders would have to pay the entire fine and those who commit serious offences would be severely punished when the new regulations are enforced shortly. His figures showed road accidents killed 77 people in Abu Dhabi the first quarter, a 42 per cent increase over the same period of last year, when 54 people died on roads.

UAE traffic: Accidents cause heavy congestion

The National staff May 17, 2016

A number of accidents were reported on Tuesday morning, resulting in heavy congestion. Dubai Police said that there was a traffic incident on Emirates Road near the Mleiha bridge towards Sharjah and urged motorists to drive carefully. At around 7.40am, the Ministry of Interior said there was heavy congestion and delays on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai towards Yas Island.

Commuters said there was heavy congestion on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road towards Deira, while an accident was reported on the ramp from the E66 Dubai-Al Ain road on to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road towards Abu Dhabi.

15 Killed In Road Accident In Telangana’s Adilabad District

Fifteen people died after a truck and auto rickshaw collided in Telangana.

Fifteen people of a family from Maharashtra, including five women and seven children, were killed in a road mishap involving a truck and an auto in Adilabad district of Telangana.

The incident occurred on the outskirts of Bhainsa town of the district at midnight on Saturday when a speeding gravel-laden tipper collided head on with the auto carrying 18 people, Adilabad District Superintendent of Police Tarun Joshi told PTI over phone.

Fourteen people died on the spot and another died on the way to a hospital, the police officer said, adding, three others who were injured in the accident were shifted to a hospital in neighbouring Nizamabad district. The deceased were on their way to a temple and had hired the auto, Mr Joshi said.

“The deceased include five women, four boys and three girls,” Bhainsa Rural police station Circle Inspector Vinod Reddy said. The family was from Nanded district of Maharashtra and they had been working in brick kilns in Nizamabad, he said.

Nearly 500 people a year die in Kuwait traffic accidents – Smart phone use a main cause of accidents

12th May 2016

Current population of Kuwait 4,072,131

A total of 2,437 people died in traffic accidents in five years, ending 26th April 2016, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has announced. In a statistical report, the MoI stated yesterday that the number of road deaths have dropped from 493 in 2011 and 461 in 2014 to 429 in 2015. The data also showed that the number of traffic fatalities reached 454 in 2012 compared with 445 in 2013.

Some 155 people died in road accidents in the first four months of the year, exactly till April 26th, 2016, noted the report. It stated that the highest number of fatalities recorded this year in Al-Ahmadi Governorate, 53 cases; followed by Jahra 52 cases; Hawally 20 cases; Farwaniya 13 cases; the Capital 12 cases and Mubarak Al-Kaber only five cases.

In 2015, Al-Ahmadi Governorate also topped the list with 167 deaths, followed by Jahra with 122 cases; Al-Farwaniyah with 54 cases; Hawally 31 cases; Mubarak Al-Kabir with 28 cases; and the Capital 27.

Click picture to watch crash

About the age group of the victims, the report revealed that that youth, aged between 21-30 years, recorded the highest percentage of deaths in 2015 nearly 119 cases out of 429.Moreover, 90 victims belong to the age group of 31-40 years, 73 to the 41-50 age group; 40 to the 51-60 years age group; 25 cases to the plus-61 age group. 19 cases aged between 11-10 and 60 cases for 11-20 age group in addition to 3 unknown cases, clarified the report.

Data also showed that 80,827 accidents were registered in 2015. The cause of 95 percent of these accidents was lack of due attention while driving, stated the report. Surprisingly, exceeding speed limits was blamed for a small fraction of the deaths in 2015, only 0.46 percent.

Acting Director of the Criminal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Interior Brigadier Hamad Al-Enezi said that the main cause of the accidents was the use of smart phones and other electronic devices during driving. Enezi urged drivers to concentrate while driving and to abide by traffic laws and regulations for their safety.

The jail term included a breach of a suspended sentence for a previous offence of actual bodily harm that Grant had received in Birmingham in 2014. Grant, who was twice the legal alcohol limit for driving, was also given a six-year driving ban, which will begin when he is released from prison.

Image copyrightGMPImage captionThe speedometer on the car was stopped at just over the 160mph mark after the crash.

The car had been travelling more than 160mph on 24 January as Grant was taking Ms Shumba home from a nightclub. It hit the lorry with such force it overturned and slid on its side further up the motorway, police said. It continued to spin out of control for another 175m (574 ft) with the momentum ripping the engine from the vehicle. The driver of the lorry told the court he heard a loud bang and saw a “fireball” fly past him before his vehicle overturned.

14 killed in Himachal bus accident

9th May 2016

At least 14 people were killed and over 40 others injured in a road accident in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district, officials said on Sunday. The ill-fated overcrowded Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus with over 50 people on board was en route to Rekong Peo in Kinnaur district from Dharamsala, when it fell into a gorge near Jogindernagar, some 200 km from the state capital, on Saturday night.

Witnesses told police that the cause of the accident was overloading and bad condition of the road. “A portion of the road caved in when the bus was stationary and the driver was allowing another vehicle coming from the opposite side to cross,” a survivor said. The toll could increase as most of the injured were in critical condition, a police official said. He said most of the injured have been admitted to Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda and hospitals in Jogindernagar.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh visited the Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College on Sunday to enquire about the health of accident victims. Expressing grief over the accident, Transport Minister G.S. Bali ordered a magisterial inquiry into it and announced compensation for the families of the victims.

Afghanistan fuel tanker crash 73 dead, 50 injured in Ghazni province

8th May 2016 BBC news

Image captionThe buses were full of passengers

Two buses and a fuel tanker have collided on a major highway in Afghanistan killing 73 people, a health ministry spokesman has told the BBC. More than 50 other people injured in the accident had been taken to hospital in Ghazni province, officials say. All three vehicles were set ablaze after the collision on the main road linking the capital, Kabul, to the southern city of Kandahar.

Accidents are common in Afghanistan where roads are often in a poor state. The BBC’s Mahfouz Zubaide in the capital, Kabul, says drivers also tend to speed and traffic rules are rarely enforced.

Image captionThe crash reportedly happened at 06:30 local time

Image captionPeople nearby came to help deal with casualties

Mohammadullah Ahmadi, the director of the provincial traffic department, said the crash was caused by reckless driving, the Associated Press news agency reports. He said local residents helped fire fighters and first responders pull survivors from the wreckage. Most of those who died in the crash were “completely burned”, health ministry spokesman Ismail Kawasi told the AFP news agency.

Jawed Salangi, spokesman for the governor of eastern Ghazni province, told the BBC he had seen documents showing that altogether there were 125 passengers travelling on the buses. According to the Efe news agency, the collision happened at about 06:30 local time (02:00 GMT).

India Wants to Use Optical Illusions to Cut Down on Traffic Accidents

For most, optical illusions aren’t much more than a source of entertainment. At best, you can stare at one for a couple of minutes on the Internet, and then watch as the room starts to spin around you.

However, optical illusions may be serving a far more serious purpose soon, as India plans to use them as a method of reducing car accidents. The country, which has a history of unsafe roads, has begun using 3D paintings as a replacement for traditional crosswalks.

The paintings are designed to create the illusion that they are raised out of the road, as each step in the crosswalk appears to float above the ground. The intention of this measure is to trick drivers, convincing them they need to slow down to avoid hitting the seemingly 3D objects.

It has yet to be determined how effective these optical illusions have actually been, as the country has just recently started to experiment with them. However, some have already begun to argue against the effectiveness of these 3D crosswalks, since drivers will realize after their first encounter with the paintings that they don’t actually need to slow down when approaching them on the road.

Regardless, it’s a valiant effort by India, a nation with a desperate need to make its roads safer. According to the UN’s 2009 status report on road safety, India has the highest number of yearly recorded road deaths in the world, partly due to a lack of drunk driving law enforcement.

Clearly, these optical illusions can’t fix everything, but they do show a creative and artistic attempt to solve a very serious problem. And for those not planning to visit India any time soon, it’s still insanely fun to look at pictures of the paintings.

Motorist Alert: Mobile radar issues fines to 415 speedy drivers

7th May 2016

Abu Dhabi Police intensifies supervision

Police will supervise all the hotspots that witness more accidents (Supplied)

The Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police intensified traffic supervision on the Abu Dhabi-Al Ghuwaifat Road by providing the various patrols in the Western Region with the mobile radar ‘Al Qannas’.

This effort falls in line with the priority to make roads safer, and the traffic safety strategy in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the efforts exerted to reduce traffic accidents.

Major Suhail Sayah Al Mazroui, Head of the Highways Section in the Western Region, emphasised that a comprehensive plan is being implemented to promote efforts to reduce accidents on the roads, especially the highways, which are expected to witness high traffic density in the upcoming period for drivers coming into or leaving the UAE during the summer holiday.

He also noted that the supervision includes all of the hotspots that witness a density of accidents in all directions. Major Al Mazroui said that the number of violations registered by ‘Al Qannas’ in the first quarter of 2016 amounted to 415 speed tickets. He also pointed out that the police will show no leniency in enforcing the traffic law on reckless motorists, who endanger their lives and the lives of others.

Captain Abdurrahman Al Ali, Public Relations Branch Manager at the Highways Section in the Western Region, called upon motorists to adhere to legal speed limits, and to wear their seat belts. He also highlighted the risks of overloading vehicles, and faulty expired tyres. Captain Al Ali urged drivers not to use cellphones while driving, and to stop their vehicles on the right side of the road if they feel tired or drowsy, and to take a break.

Captain Ali noted that the modified speed limits on the Abu Dhabi-Al Ghuwaifat Road are divided into three key stretches. The first stretch is 176 km both ways, reaching from the Al Dhafra Bridge diversion to the Baynunah Forest, with a speed limit of 100 km/h and radars set at 121 km/h. The second stretch runs between the Baynunah Forest and the Barakah region, with a speed limit of 120 km/h and radar setting of 141 km/h. The third stretch extends 64 km both ways from Barakah to Al Ghuwaifat, with a speed limit of 100 km/h and a radar setting of 121 km/h.

Jamaica: Billions To Mend Accident Victims

Police and Hawkeye representatives gather information at an accident scene along East Street in Kingston.

It could be costing the country in the region of $8 billion annually to treat road-accident victims at the various hospitals across the island.

Preliminary findings from data gathered for 2014 by the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA), in association with the University Hospital of the West Indies, reveals that it cost close to $2 billion to treat road-accident victims for the first three months of that year.

In excess of 13,000 persons were treated for injuries suffered from motor vehicle accidents in 2014, while there were 331 road fatalities.

The indirect cost of productivity lost for the 331 persons who died as a result of road accidents in 2014 was calculated at $3.5 billion.

Though the JN Foundation-National Health Fund-financed study is being conducted based on figures collected two years ago, Dr Elizabeth Ward, chairperson of the VPA, said she believed that barring adjustments for inflation, the cost would be the same today.

BJP leader killed, 12 injured in accident

Updated: Saturday, April 30, 2016,

Two persons including a BJP leader were killed and 12 others injured today when a bus in which they were travelling rammed into a stationary truck here, police said. Former MLA and BJP leader Hansraj Verma was killed on the spot, while 12 others injured when the Volvo bus on its way to Delhi from Lucknow dashed into the truck on Tundla overbridge, SSP Ashok Kumar Sharma said.

The driver of the bus also succumbed to injuries in hospital, Sharma said, adding, the injured were rushed to hospital with help of the locals. Hansraj Verma was Congress MLA from Nidhauli seat in Etah district and had later joined BJP.

German city puts traffic lights on pavements for smartphone users

(This is not good for road safety but good for manufacturers of runway lights. The British Highway Code suggests you should be focusing on the crossing task.

B Stop just before you get to the kerb, where you can see if anything is coming. Do not get too close to the traffic. If there’s no pavement, keep back from the edge of the road but make sure you can still see approaching traffic.

C Look all around for traffic and listen. Traffic could come from any direction. Listen as well, because you can sometimes hear traffic before you see it.

– Ed)

28th April 2016

A German city has put traffic lights on pavements so smartphone users don’t have to look up from their screens.

Officials in Augsburg were worried pedestrians were so addicted to their mobiles, they weren’t paying attention to their surroundings.

The lights, which are red like typical stop signals, mean even when people are looking down, they will still see when it is not safe to walk.

The death of a 15-year-old prompted the trial, local media reports. She had been hit by a tram while distracted by her phone as she crossed the tracks, police said. Town planners took into account where people who frequently used smartphones, such as young people and commuters, were likely to be walking, said city spokesperson Stephanie Lerman.

They then placed the lights appropriately, she added. Those who walk while using their phones have been christened smombies – as in smartphone and zombie.

Snapchat speed filter blamed for 107-MPH highway accident

Snapchat has a filter that lets people share how fast they’re traveling while they take selfies.

On the left, the Mitsubishi Outlander that was struck. On the right, a Mercedes c230 that caused the crash.

A car accident victim is blaming Snapchat’s speed filter for a crash that left him with traumatic brain injuries, according to a new lawsuit. The plaintiff, Wentworth Maynard, was merging onto a four lane highway outside of Atlanta, Georgia when his car was struck “so violently it shot across the left lane into the left embankment,” his lawyers contend.

Christal McGee was allegedly driving the car that struck him. The lawsuit says that she was on her phone trying to use the Snapchat speed filter at the time of the accident. McGee wanted to post an image of herself going fast. She argued that she was, ‘Just trying to get the car to 100 miles per hour to post it on Snapchat.'” the victim’s lawyers say.

A passenger in McGee’s car said she had hit 113 mph on the Snapchat filter, they added. When the cars hit, the speed was 107 mph, according to the complaint. The speed limit was 55. “While [she] was distracted and on her phone, McGee did not notice that a gray Mitsubishi, driven by Maynard Wentworth, had pulled out onto the road,” the complaint says.

McGee, who was also injured in the accident, apparently also took a Snapchat while she was in the ambulance, on a gurney, with blood on her face. “Lucky to be alive” was the caption.

Maynard and his wife are now suing McGee and Snapchat to pay for the medical bills. Maynard spent five weeks in intensive care for severe traumatic brain injury treatments. He now needs a walker or wheelchair to get around and cannot work. He was an Uber driver at the time of the accident last year.

The lawsuit also alleges that Snapchat has been aware of previous accidents caused by using the app while driving at high speeds, and yet the company chose not to remove the speed filter.

“This is a product liability case because Snapchat put something very dangerous in the marketplace without any warnings or safeguards, and basically said, whatever happens, happens,” attorney T. Shane Peagler said in a statement.

CNNMoney’s attempts to reach McGee were unsuccessful. A Snapchat spokesman said he could not comment on a pending lawsuit, but added that the app has always included a warning not to use it while driving.

Politics graduate, 27, is JAILED after she tried to dodge a speeding fine by ‘paying £450 for someone else to take three points’ so she could keep a clean licence

Ayesha Ahmed, 27, was caught speeding in BMW twice within 5 minutes

Instead of paying speeding fine she hired a ‘legal expert’ who claimed he could exploit a legal loophole which would allow her to escape punishment

Ahmed told police she was the innocent victim of a scam by a fake lawyer

She was found guilty of attempting to pervert course of justice and jailed

27 April 2016

Ayesha Ahmed, 27, of Dudley, was caught speeding in her BMW twice within five minutes by a mobile camera van parked near her home

A politics graduate has been jailed for three months after she attempted to avoid a speeding fine by paying £450 for someone else to take the three points.

Ayesha Ahmed, 27, of Dudley, West Midlands, was caught speeding at 39mph and 40mph in a 30mph zone in her BMW twice within five minutes by a mobile camera van parked near her home in July 2014.

But rather than pay for an £85 speed awareness course, a £100 fine and accepting three points on her licence, the international relations and politics graduate paid £450 to a man she did not know who claimed he could exploit a ‘legal loophole’ which would enable her to escape punishment. Notices of Intended Prosecution (NIPs) sent to Ahmed were then returned to enforcement officers claiming that a woman from Walsall was behind the wheel of the BMW at the time the offences were committed.

But officers became suspicious when inquiries revealed that speeding offences by eight different drivers had been attributed to a woman living at the same Walsall address, leading to Ahmed’s arrest. During her police interview Ahmed admitted she had tried to avoid receiving the penalty points but insisted she thought the £450 was being paid to a specialist speeding fine lawyer. She then claimed she was the victim of a scam by a fake lawyer and protested her innocence.

But the court heard Ahmed had lied and was told by prosecutors that she was not the victim of a scam by a fake lawyer as she claimed because she knew what she was doing was illegal. The court heard she passed on her paper work to the third party to fill out on her behalf – which is an offence in itself – because she wanted to avoid the points and the fine.

Police said today that claiming she was an innocent victim scammed by a fake lawyer was an excuse she made up in the hope of getting off. Ahmed was jailed for three months on Monday after a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court unanimously found her guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice.She was also banned from driving for 58 weeks.

Ahmed stood trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court (pictured) but was jailed on Monday after a jury unanimously found her guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice PC Steve Jevons, of the West Midlands Camera Enforcement Unit, said: ‘Ahmed has paid a heavy price for thinking she could lie her way out of speeding offences. ‘The jury concluded she was deliberately trying to avoid justice and not, as she claimed, victim of a scam by a bogus lawyer.

‘She never met this “legal expert”, didn’t have an address or phone number for him, and paid the money via a third party. ‘Ahmed was given every opportunity to admit her guilt – an admission that would have spared her a jail term – and even the judge asked if she wanted to proceed to trial in the face of damning evidence.

‘It’s a sorry tale. She has no previous convictions but a potentially promising career is now in ruins and all because she wanted to retain a clean licence.’Warning other motorists to steer clear of anyone offering to provide false details to the police, PC Jevons added: ‘Don’t be conned by anyone saying they know a person who, for a fee, can ‘make speeding fines go away’. ‘These people try passing blame on to ‘phantom’ drivers, knowing the authorities won’t be able to trace them and assuming the matter will be dropped.’

British father and his two sons, four and ten, die in horrific car accident in France after ‘he fell asleep at the wheel’

A British father is thought to have fallen asleep at the wheel before a horrific car accident in which he died alongside his two young sons in France today.

His wife and another child were severely injured in the crash, which took place on A39 motorway at Savigny-en-Revermont, in the east of the country, south of Dijon.Witnesses saw the driver lose control of the car travelling south shortly after 7am. It left the road, smashed through barriers, crossed an embankment, and then fell on to a slip road.Pictures later showed the burnt out wreckage of the Nissan vehicle, which was surrounded by debris, and almost unrecognisable as a family car.

A 31-year-old man and two children, aged four and 10, were killed in a crash, pictured, near Dijon, FranceOfficers at the scene said the father was trapped in the wreckage and suffered a heart attack shortly after the emergency services arrived. Local police said ‘two out of three children onboard’ – aged four and 10 – are thought to have ‘died instantly, alongside their father’, who was aged 31.

An investigating officer at the scene of the crash said the inquiry was currently focusing on the driver losing control of the vehicle.‘We can perhaps imagine he fell asleep, or was distracted by something,’ said the senior police commander.

Other rescue workers said the man had been trapped inside the wreckage when they arrived, but died within minutes of a heart attack. The children’s mother survived, alongside a three-year-old child, but both had been rushed to an intensive car unit.Both were airlifted to the Edouard Herriot hospital in Lyon, where a spokesman said they were ‘in a critical condition’. A woman, thought to be the mother, and a three-year-old child survived and were airlifted to hospital by helicopter, pictured, where they remain in intensive care

The crash took place on the A39 motorway, pictured, shortly after 7am this morning, police said.

A Romsai rescue worker inspects a car crash on the side of a highway during the Songkran holidays in April 2015.

This year’s death toll of 442 during the “seven dangerous days” of Songkran is a new record, breaking the previous highest number from last year. From April 11-17, there were 3,447 road accidents nationwide in which 3,656 people were injured, according to Interior Minister Gen. Anupong Paochinda.

During last year’s Songkran holidays, 364 people were killed and 3,559 injured.

Anupong said on Sunday alone, when most people drove back home after spending time with their families, there were 343 road accidents in which 45 people were killed and 385 others injured. Chiang Mai topped the list of the highest number of road accidents (168) while Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima had the highest death toll with 19 each.

Drink driving caused the most accidents, followed by speeding. Motorcycles were involved in the highest number of accidents, Thai PBS reported.

Thai drunk drivers to pay penance in morgues

14th April 2016

The World Health Organisation estimates about 24,000 people die each year in Thai road traffic accidents.

A Buddhist monk rides a motorcycle sidecar on a road in Ratchaburi province, outside Bangkok March 22, 2016.

BANGKOK, April 12 — Drink drivers in Thailand will be sentenced to community service in morgues, authorities said today, stepping up efforts to combat the country’s appalling traffic safety record.

Thailand’s junta hopes the morbid rehabilitation plan will ram home the message that drink driving kills and help to cut traffic-related deaths in a country with the world’s second most dangerous roads.

Nontajit Netpukkana, a senior official at the department of probation, said Thailand’s cabinet had approved their morgue proposal. “We originally had community services at hospital wards (for offenders),” he told AFP today. “But we think the intensity that comes from working in a morgue will help give those doing community service a clearer picture of what happens after accidents caused by drink driving,” he said.

The announcement coincides with Songkran, an annual three-day festival that kicks off tomorrow and marks the Thai new year. It is celebrated with water throwing, partying and, more often than not, heavy drinking — a lethal combination given many make long journeys to their hometowns to celebrate with family.

Each year hundreds of people are killed on Thailand’s roads during the Songkran week. It is one of two periods dubbed the “Seven Deadly Days” by the Thai government and press — the other being western New Year.

But while attention tends to be focused on those two holidays, each week brings carnage on Thailand’s roads. Despite its relative wealth and infrastructure, the kingdom has the second most dangerous roads in the world in terms of per capita deaths. Successive government promises — both civilian and military — have made little dent in the annual death toll.

Over New Year, the junta announced a renewed crackdown on drunk drivers, including powers to impound cars. But it appeared to make little difference. By the end of the week, 380 people had died on the roads and more than 3,300 were injured according to government data, the highest toll in five years. The WHO figures, however, would suggest that the true number is far higher and that Thailand, like many other countries, vastly under-reports the severity of the problem. — AFP

Four killed, six injured in Bangkok road accident

The Nation April 14, 2016

Four people were killed and six others injured when a speeding car crashed into a tree in Bangkok Chatuchak district early Thursday. Police said the accident happened at 0:30 am at a bridge in front of the Bangkok Remand Prison. Eyewitnesses told police that they saw the Honda Jazz speeding from the Pongphet Intersection and it became airborne when it reached the top of the bridge. The car then hit a tree on the road side.

Police said three were killed inside the car and another died at a nearby hospital. The four were identified as Sarawut Chanthong, 27, Pattama Tungmun, 28, Titima Tungmun, 11, and Srisunee Chaliewwai, 34.

At least 19 passengers killed in Pakistan bus crash

13th April 2016
Women and children are among the casualties of the accident near the eastern city of Faisalabad.

Reuters
At least 19 people have been killed in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province.

Women and children were among the fatalities, and several other people were injured in the crash near the city of Faisalabad, AP reported.

Rescue official Mohammad Naseem said officers are still investigating the cause of the crash, but the bus appeared to have been speeding at the time of the accident.

“We have transported all the dead and injured to a hospital,” Mr Naseem said.

24 killed in Nepal bus accident

12th April 2016

At least 24 people were killed on Tuesday when the bus they were travelling in plunged some 300 metres down the road in a mountainous region in eastern Nepal.

The Kathmandu-bound bus had left Khotang district in the morning, and was said to be overcrowded.The vehicle rolled down the road at Barkhetar of Arkhanle in the district.The wreckage was trapped between trees, making it difficult to rescue survivors.

It took hours for the first rescuers to reach the site because of the location.The identities of the deceased are yet to be established.Thirty one people have been rescued alive, said police and added that the injured have been admitted to a hospital.

The number of passengers aboard the bus was initially 28, but it swelled to 70 when some people boarded the vehicle mid way, The Himalayan Times reported.Reports said an army rescue helicopter was headed to the crash site.

Nepal is mostly covered with mountains and most roads are narrow. Bus accidents in the country are generally blamed on poor roads.Buses are usually crowded and people often travel on the roofs.

11 Killed In Road Accident In Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam

April 12th 2016

VISAKHAPATNAM: Eleven people, including four children, were killed today in an accident involving a car, a motorcycle and a truck near Nakkapalli in Visakhapatnam district this afternoon. The accident occurred when one the tyres of the car, proceeding from Visakhapatnam towards Tuni, suddenly burst on the National Highway (NH)-16.

As a result, the driver lost control over the vehicle and hit a motorcycle and pushed it under a lorry coming from the opposite direction, an official statement issued by the Andhra Pradesh Information and Public Relations Department said, adding that some of the bodies got crushed beyond recognition.

A father-son duo riding the bike and nine of a family travelling in the car were killed on the spot. The inmates of the car — four children, three women and two men — were identified as the members of one Srinivas’ family from Gopalapatnam near Visakhapatnam.

The father-son duo on the motorbike belonged to S Rayavaram mandal in the district and the father was identified as an employee with Hetero Drugs, the release said. Senior revenue and police officials rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operation.

The bodies were shifted to the government hospital in Nakkapalli for postmortem. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister N China Rajappa and Leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy expressed grief over the tragedy and conveyed their sympathies to the bereaved families.

Visuals show no sign of the car slowing down or trying to avoid Mr Sharma

17-year-old behind the wheel, father booked for allowing minor to drive

CCTV visuals have captured the moment when a 32-year-old man was hit by a Mercedes that came careening down the road with a Class 12 boy behind the wheel.

Sidharth Sharma, realising that the car was not slowing down, tried to get out of the way but didn’t stand a chance. In the footage obtained by his family and given to the police, Mr Sharma is seen trying to cross the road while looking both ways. He had just bought takeout from a noodle stand and was heading home.

The marketing consultant is seen looking to his left and suddenly trying to rush to the pavement but in a split second, the Mercedes – the police said it came at a speed of around 100 km an hour – rams him, flinging him into the air. There was no sign that the driver slowed down or even tried to avoid hitting him. Mr Sharma’s sling bag is left on the road. People are seen rushing towards where his body would have landed. The visuals show how fast and recklessly the car was being driven by the 17-year-old son of a businessman out with his friends – all Class 12 students who had finished school exams last month.

After hitting Sidharth Sharma, the Mercedes went over a pavement and came to a stop as its front tyres burst. The teenager abandoned the car and ran away with his friends. He was arrested but let off on bail because he is below 18.

His father has now been charged but not arrested. The charge – allowing a minor to drive – is bailable. Police sources say action can be taken against the underage driver only after the police file a charge-sheet, for which they have 90 days. Mr Sharma’s father called the investigation a joke and said the driver should be tried and punished as an adult.

Hemraj Sharma, shattered after the death of his only son, told NDTV that how the police responded to the incident “is totally questionable.” He said: “From today we are going to live as a dead family… I even told the IO (investigating officer) in the police station, tomorrow it may be your son, daughter or anyone…My son lost his life but I hope others also continue losing and the people with muscle and money power get away from these crimes.”

Pakistan: 18 killed, 30 injured in road accident

Wednesday, April 6, 2016,

Islamabad, At least 18 people were killed and over 30 injured on Wednesday when a bus collided with a trailer in Pakistan’s central district of Bhakkar.

The coach, heading toward Mianwali district from Bhakkar in Punjab province, overturned after the collision, resulting in the large number of casualties, Xinhua news agency reported. The injured were shifted to a hospital where several of them were in critical condition, police said. The accident occurred when the bus driver of the coach lost control of the vehicle and hit the trailer.

According to police and Rescue team, the passenger bus was going to Islamabad from Karachi and it crashed into a trailer after the driver lost control over the steering due to speeding. 18 passengers died on the spot while 14 others sustained injuries.

China scraps motorcycles

The city of Shenzhen has been tightening laws to combat illegally operated or unregistered side cars on motorbikes. Starting from this month, the ban will apply on motorised tricycles – a very popular mode of transport in China – as well. Almost 18,000 vehicles have been detained just within 11 days in the city and a leaked document from the local police authority suggested that officers would be awarded cash for each detention, reported on.cc.

Back in 2008, police in the Yangdong district of the city demolished 14,277 motorbikes as part of another significant crackdown. Last March in one scrap yard in Hangzhou, 100,000 vehicles were piled up after being taken off the road because they did not meet the national emissions standards to remain on the road. A previous report said some 16 million vehicles will be ready for the scrap heap in China by 2020.

Road Accident in Saudi Arabia Kills 15, Including 6 Children

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Apr 3, 2016,

Two vans have collided in southwestern Saudi Arabia, killing 15 people, including six children. The wreckage: Image Credit: Sabq

Saudi Red Crescent spokesman Ahmed Asiri was quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency as saying the road accident took place just before 6 a.m. on Sunday in the Wadi bin Hashbal region of Asir province, located south of the holy city of Mecca.

Two other people sustained severe injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. Asiri says ambulances and fire trucks were dispatched to the scene and extinguished the fire that had engulfed one of the vehicles.

The Saudi Health Ministry says traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among young people in the kingdom. The ministry says 17 people are killed in road accidents each day in Saudi

The Saudi Health Ministry says traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among young people in the kingdom. The ministry says 17 people are killed in road accidents each day in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities have been pushing for an amelioration of the road culture that would help drastically reduce the high number of accidents in the country. Official figures indicate that a car accident happens every second (sic – Ed) and 17 people are killed in crashes every day on average.

However, campaigns by the authorities to bring order to chaotic driving and boost a more positive traffic approach have often been resisted by unruly and speeding drivers. A rigorous monitoring system with traffic cameras on highways to check speed and at the traffic lights in major cities to record red light jumping has succeeded in bringing down the number of accidents.

The authorities now plan to expand Saher, the monitoring cameras system, to all regions of the kingdom by 2018. Attempts by unruly drivers to beat the system by seeking religious edicts to ban it on the grounds that it was robbing them of their savings have all been rejected by religious scholars.

Several religious figures insisted that cheating the system was not allowed and that all fines had to be paid. In their attempt to avoid the traffic monitoring lenses, some drivers used ruses to conceal their car licence plates, making their identification impossible.

Saudi Arabia ranks second among Arab countries and 23rd globally in terms of deaths due to road accidents, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report. The usual causes of accidents include the use of cell phones while driving, ignoring the red light, overtaking from the wrong side and stopping in areas designated for people with special needs.

Spain: 7 dead in car crash

3rd April 2016

Police and firefighters at the scene of a car accident on the N-II road at Pont de Molins, Spain, on 02 April 2016. Seven people died and one person was seriously injured when two cars, one with a French license plate and the other with a Spanish license plate, suffered a head-on collision. Five of the seven dead travelled in the French car. The only survivor, who travelled in the Spanish car, was tranfered to hospital seriously injured. EPA/ROBIN TOWNSEND

Road accident in Afghanistan kills 11

2 April 2016

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says at least 11 people have been killed in a road accident just outside the western city of Herat.

Rauf Ahmadi, spokesman for the provincial police chief, said Saturday that three vehicles were involved in the fatal crash, which wounded another seven people. He says the crash was the result of carelessness, and that women and children were among those killed and wounded.

The crash took place Friday amid celebrations of the Persian new year, which began March 21 and is followed by 13 days of festivities, including family visits and picnics.

Traffic accidents are common across Afghanistan, where roads are poorly maintained and drivers routinely ignore traffic regulations.

Manila: NCR records show almost 96,000 traffic accidents in 2015

By: Clara Masinag, InterAksyon.com
March 31, 2016

MANILA – A total of 95,615 traffic accidents in National Capital Region (NCR) were recorded 2015, which caused 519 fatalities, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported on Thursday.

Additionally, 17,103 were injured and there were 77,993 records of “damage to property.”

Based on data released by the Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System (MMRAS), last year’s figures are higher compared to the 90,258 vehicle accidents for the year 2014, which killed 418 persons, injured 16,665 others and chalked up 73,175 reports of damage to property.

MMRAS is a program created and operated by the Road Safety Unit (RSU) of the MMDA-Traffic Discipline Office-Traffic Engineering Center (MMDA-TDO-TEC), with the cooperation and assistance of the Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

When asked for comment, MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos said: “One accident is already considered alarming, so how much more that figure? But I have yet to see the report.” The program’s objective is to compile and maintain an on-going database of Fatal, Non Fatal Injury and Damage to Property, and road crashes, among others.

Of the overall traffic incidents, 36,011 or 37.66% of the accidents occurred during the hours of darkness or without time indicated, while 59,604 or 62.33% occurred during daytime. But, even though the majority of the accidents occurred at daytime, fatal accidents were considered high during night-time and the wee hours in the morning.

According to MMRAS, motorcycles topped the list of vehicles in Metro Manila with the most number of deaths and injuries in road accidents. The MMRAS report showed that motorcycles have the “highest fatality accident rate” with 262 involved, followed by trucks with 129, and cars with 125. For non fatal incidents, motorcycles still had the highest rate with an 11,620 share, followed by cars with 7,427, and PUJs with 2,161. The entry of cheap motorcycles in the country and the worsening traffic condition in Metro Manila are seen as the primary reasons in pushing the demand for motorcycles.

The MMRAS data showed that the highest number of road accidents happened during the month of December and a lot were caused by human error (undisciplined drivers) and vehicular defect. Meanwhile, MMRAS also identified at least 50 major roads in the NCR where most road accidents occur.

Seven Egyptians killed, 3 injured in Jordan car crash

30th March 2016 Aswat Egyptian

Seven Egyptians were killed and three were injured when a vehicle overturned in north eastern Jordan on Sunday, the Jordanian news agency Petra reported.

The minibus was carrying Egyptian workers, according to Petra. The three injured passengers were provided with first aid and healthcare.The Egyptian ambassador to Jordan is heading to al-Mafraq province where the accident took place, to follow up on transferring the bodies back to Egypt and to check on the injured.

Just last week, 19 Egyptians lost their lives when a bus overturned in Saudi Arabia, where they were performing Umrah, a type of pilgrimage that can be carried out by Muslims at any time of the year.

Even inside Egypt, thousands of Egyptians are killed in car, bus and train accidents annually. In the first half of 2015, car accidents left 2,808 people dead, even though the number of accidents had dropped by over 7 per cent compared to the same time the previous year, according to the latest figures provided by the state’s statistics agency, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.

Dutch introduce car accident report app to replace paper forms

BusinessSociety March 29, 2016

Photo: Depositphotos.com

Dutch police and insurance companies on Tuesday launched an app which does away with the need to fill in complicated forms following a car accident. It is the first time police and insurance companies have worked together to tackle the problems posed by ‘old fashioned paper documents’, the AD says.

The new app replaces sketches of the accident with photographs and uses GPS to determine the exact location. The app can also be used by cyclists and walkers to report accidents and damage.

According to research by market researchers Gfk, one in three motorists say the current European accident statement is not user-friendly and 15% do not carry one in their vehicle. Insurance companies, government officials and road safety lobby groups have all been involved in the development of the app. They hope the data it generates can be used to reduce the number of road deaths, the AD says.

Six killed in road accident in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen

29th March 2016

Raisen: Six people were killed on Monday when a vehicle they were travelling in collided with a truck in Raisen district in Madhya Pradesh, police said.

At Least 19 Killed in Guatemala as Bus Plunges Into Ravine

By REUTERS MARCH 28, 2016,

GUATEMALA CITY — At least 19 people were killed in Guatemala after the bus they were traveling in plunged down a 200-meter (660 feet) ravine in the west of the country on Monday, emergency services said.

Carlos Santizo, a spokesman for local firefighters, said the bus was going too fast when it went off the edge of the road near the town of Nahuala, some 160 km (99 miles) west of Guatemala City.

Nearly all those confirmed dead in the crash were adults, including one pregnant woman, Santizo told local radio. There was one minor among the dead, he said.

Between 20 and 25 people were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, said hospital spokesman Guillermo Ordonez.

7 Egyptian workers killed in Mafraq bus accident

3/27/2016

AMMONNEWS – Seven Egyptian guest workers were killed and three others were injured early Sunday, when their mini bus collided on the Mafraq-Safawi road.

Mafraq Public Hospital Director Smeir Al Mashaqba said that the emergency department received around10 Egyptian people, 7 of them arrived dead while the others were wounded.

Accident Victims Plead For Help, Die Without Assistance In Karnataka

:March 26, 2016

MYSURU: In a case of public apathy, three persons, who met with a road accident, died with nobody coming to their assistance, despite cries for help while lying in a pool of blood at Kolagala village in the district, police said today.

A video capturing the horrific scene that has gone viral, showed three profusely bleeding men lying on the road after their motorcycle was hit by a bus, with one of them pleading to passers-by for help.

He is seen being questioned by a passer-by about the village he belonged to before being offered water. The man later succumbed to injuries at a hospital, as also another person, while the third died on the spot, police said, adding the victims were travelling on the two-wheeler from their village Joganahalli to H D Kote on Wednesday evening.

The deceased have been identified as Ramesh, Mahesh and Manjunath, all related to each other. Naveen, a relative of the deceased, said all three were agriculture labourers and have small children. Expressing anguish over nobody coming to the help of the victims and instead making a video, he said, “They were lying at the accident spot without any help.”

Doctors said two of them could have been saved if brought to the hospital on time.
The victims were shifted to the hospital but not before precious time was lost, the victims’ kin alleged. Police said a case has been registered and the bus driver has been arrested.

In a similar incident recently, 26-year-old Harish’s body was severed in half after being hit by a speeding lorry near Bengaluru.

The Karnataka government had launched a cashless treatment plan ‘Mukhyamantrigala Santwana Harish scheme’, for road accident victims in memory of Harish.

Pastor and boy killed, 16 injured in Isabela road accident

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Phillipines: A CHURCH pastor and a boy died, while 16 individuals including nine minors were injured, after they figured in a vehicular accident at Barangay Sikatuna in Isabela town, Negros Occidental around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Chief Inspector Anthony Grande, town police chief, told Sun.Star Bacolod Thursday the Congregation of River of God, numbering about 40, were on their way to a retreat in Barangay Payao, Binalbagan town when the sugarcane truck they were boarding encountered a mechanical trouble.

Truck driver Arnold Gazon, 31, of Barangay Carabalan Himamaylan City, lost control of the truck, causing it to fall on its side, Grande said.

The victims were rushed to a hospital, where Marcillo was declared dead on arrival while Anito died hours later.

Grande said that four victims were transferred to a hospital in Bacolod City.

UK: Speeding driver who left his two friends to burn alive after crashing a car at 70mph is jailed for 10 years

James Maughan, 22, was racing a VW Passat when his Renault Megane crashed into a house and burst into flames

Liam Aldred, 26, and Dean McIntyre, 27, trapped as fire took hold of the car

Maughan was driving at more than 70mph in 30mph zone before the crash

He was found guilty of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving

26th March 2016

James Maughan, 22, was racing at more than 70mph when he spun out of control and smashed into a house, in Branton, near Doncaster, causing the Renault Megane he was driving to burst into flames.

Maughan and a 15-year-old boy in the front passenger seat fled the scene, but Liam Aldred, 26, and Dean McIntyre, 27, were trapped in the back as the fire took hold of the vehicle.

A third man, also in the back seat was left scarred for life as a result of the severe burns he suffered from the blazing heat. Maughan was found guilty of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court, South Yorkshire.

The court heard he had been racing another car at speeds of more than 70mph in a 30mph zone before the crash on August 25, last year.Unlicensed Maughan had already narrowly avoided a head-on collision with another car while racing a VW Passat over the course of a mile-and-a-half. At one stage the traffic was travelling three abreast as Maughan overtook the Passat while it was overtaking another vehicle.

Judge Julian Goose QC said Maughan had left Mr Aldred and Mr McIntyre to be ‘burnt alive’ after fleeing the scene. The court heard Maughan had persuaded a van driver to take him away from the crash site after telling the man that he had been attacked by people who had poured petrol over him.

Maughan and a 15-year-old boy in the front passenger seat fled the scene, but Liam Aldred, 26, (left) and Dean McIntyre, 27, (right) were trapped in the back as the fire took hold of the vehicle

Maughan was racing at more than 70mph when he spun out of control and smashed into a house, in Branton, near Doncaster, causing the Renault Megane he was driving to burst into flames

A third man, also in the back seat was left scarred for life as a result of the severe burns he suffered from the blazing heat. Judge Julian Goose QC said Maughan had left his friends to be ‘burnt alive’ after fleeing the scene

Maughan then fled to Swansea, South Wales, where he went to hospital, giving doctors who were treating his burns a false name and telling them they were a result of a barbecuing accident.

During his trial, Maughan had denied being the driver of the car, and refused to come to court to be sentenced. He was eventually presented several hours later, flanked by four prison guards and in handcuffs.

Judge Goose said Maughan had show ‘little or no remorse’ for his actions. The court heard Mr McIntyre’s mother and brother had also both died in car crashes. In a particularly tragic coincidence, his mother’s death had happened on the same stretch of road and in the same make of car around 15 years previously.

Mr Aldred’s father, Steve, told the court: ‘I do not really know how to start putting into words how the death of my son has affected me and my family. ‘I loved my son from the moment he was first put in my arms as a baby. ‘To have him taken away in such tragic circumstances means only someone who has gone through what I’m going through can understand my heartache.

‘You chose to flee the scene instead of trying to help those still inside and leaving them to perish.’ His mother,Tracey House added: ‘When Liam died, a part of me died alongside him. ‘The pain of losing my son will never go away – we have been served with a life sentence. ‘The defendant is still young enough to have whatever he wants in life – start a family, get married. We will never get to see Liam do any of this.’

India: 8 killed in 2 accidents on Holi celibrations

Updated: Friday, March 25, 2016,

Eight persons were killed in drunk driving mishaps during Holi celebrations here, police said today. In the first accident, five persons were killed when their vehicle crashed into an enclosure, built outside a house in Bilhaur area here. Police said the accident occurred when the driver, a 32-year-old mechanic who was allegedly in an inebriated condition, lost control of the vehicle.

Superintendent of Police (rural) Surendra Tiwari said the occupants of the car were drunk and liquor bottles have been seized from the vehicle. In another accident, three persons died when their motorcycle hit a pole in Shivarajpur area here. Nitin, who was riding the motorcycle, died on the spot while two pillion riders succumbed to injuries at a hospital, police said. The police officer said the youths, aged between 21 to 24, were drunk when the accident took place. The eight bodies have been sent for post-mortem, he added.

Twelve killed in minibus crash in France

PARIS 25th March 2016

A minibus traveling from Switzerland to Portugal collided with a lorry in central France on Thursday night, killing its 12 passengers and leaving four others injured, local authorities said in a statement.

The accident happened in the French department of Allier just before midnight local time, the authorities said on Friday, adding that the cause of the collision was unclear.

The driver was the only survivor in the minibus. The victims are believed to be Portuguese, the authorities said.

Traffic accidents take huge bite out of Iranian economy

Commander Taghi Mehri told IRNA on Monday March 21 that this information is based on government research studies in partnership with Shahid Beheshti University.

He stressed that such waste leaves an indelible mark on the economy which is irreparable. Recent reports also indicate that in the past five years, 5,700 people were killed during the two-week Norooz holidays due to road accidents.

Since the beginning of the current Norooz on March 20, 60 people have already been killed in road accidents.

At least 13 European university students die in Spanish coach crash

Driver loses control and collides with car in motorway accident near Tarragona

At least 13 European university exchange students have died in a motorway coach crash near Tarragona in north-east Spain.

Jordi Jané, the Catalan interior minister, said the victims were aged 22 to 29 and “the majority are Erasmus students of various nationalities. We are trying to draw up a list of the victims”.

He said he was unable to confirm reports that all the students were at the University of Barcelona.

The coach was the last in a group of five returning to Barcelona after celebrating the Fallas festivities in Valencia. The occupants of the other three coaches were unaware of the accident until they arrived in Barcelona. Jané earlier said that 14 of the 57 passengers were dead, a number that was later revised down. He said the remainder did not appear to be seriously injured and the coach driver is among the survivors.

At about 6am on Sunday the driver lost control near Amposta, Tarragona, and the vehicle crossed the central reservation and collided with an oncoming car. “Everything points to human error being the cause of the accident, though it’s too early to say,” Jané said. “There’s no reason to think there was a problem with the road itself.”

The Erasmus programme provides foreign exchange courses for students from counties within the 28-nation European Union.

Bus Carrying Egyptian Pilgrims In Saudi Crashes, Killing 19

MENA says the bus was carrying 44 Egyptians and a driver of unknown nationality when it crashed. It says 25 people were injured in the incident.

The pilgrims were performing Umrah, a Muslim pilgrimage that can be done year-round.

Death toll of pilgrims in Jordan bus crash rises to 16 with 36 injured

Thursday Mar 17, 2016

MAAN, Jordan (AP) ” The number of Palestinian pilgrims killed when their bus overturned in a remote area of southern Jordan rose from 14 to 16 overnight, including nine who had been pinned under the vehicle, officials said Thursday.

The bus veered off the road in the accident late Wednesday near Jordan’s border with Saudi Arabia, Farid Sharea, a spokesman for Jordan’s Civil Defense department, told the Voice of Palestine radio station.

Injured passenger Azzah Ibrahim said he remembers the bus overturning. “Some of us were beneath the bus, and some of us were inside the bus, between the chairs,” Ibrahim said from his hospital bed in the southern city of Maan, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from the scene of the accident.

Sharea said heavy equipment was used to lift the bus and pull nine bodies from underneath the vehicle. The windows of the mud-smeared bus were shattered. Glass shards, passengers’ crumpled clothing and empty water bottles were strewn on the floor of the vehicle.

The passengers, all from the West Bank, had been on their way to a Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Jordan’s state news agency Petra initially reported late Wednesday that 14 passengers were killed and 36 injured. It said the driver had apparently lost control of the vehicle. Overnight, the death toll rose to 16, including two children, said Dr. Walid Ruwad, the manager of Maan hospital.

Bassam Hijawi, an official at the Palestinian embassy in Jordan, said five critically injured passengers were flown by helicopter to the Jordanian capital of Amman. Three others, who were in serious condition, were evacuated to a hospital in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, he told the Voice of Palestine.

India: Four Med students killed, 31 injured in Andhra accident

Updated: Tuesday, March 15, 2016,

At least four medical students were killed and 31 injured when a bus carrying them overturned after hitting a roadside tree at Gollapudi near here late Monday night, police said. The driver of the private bus was also killed in the accident which occurred on Vijayawada-Hyderabad highway.

The students of government-run Osmania Medical College were returning to Hyderabad after participating in a sports tournament in Andhra Pradesh when the accident occurred. Police said the driver was drunk and driving the bus at a high speed, which led to the disaster. The survivors said the driver picked up an argument with them when they raised an objection to driving in an inebriated condition. (…but they let him continue to drive! Ed.)

MBBS fourth year student P. Rajaram, House Surgeons Giri Lakshman and M. Vijay Teja and driver died on the spot.

Another student succumbed at a hospital at Gollapudi. The injured were admitted to the hospital, where condition of some of them is stated to be critical. Telangana Health Minister Lakshma Reddy rushed to Vijayawada from Hyderabad. He called on the injured at Andhra Hospital in Gollapudi. The minister said Telangana government will bear all expenses for the treatment of the injured.

The minister said action would be taken against those whose negligence led to the accident. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock over the death of the students. He directed officials to ensure best possible treatment to the injured and if necessary shift them to Hyderabad.

Dubai sees 253 road accidents in 7 hours due to rain

MENAFN – Khaleej Times – 10/03/2016

The Dubai Police has recorded at least 253 traffic accidents and received 3200 calls in a span of seven hours from 6 am to 1 pm as heavy to moderate rain hit most areas of the country on Wednesday.

Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui director of the General Department of Traffic of Dubai Police advised motorists to be careful and abide by safety rules during the rainy season and to take all preventive measures and obey traffic rules like reducing speed and leaving enough distan between cars.

He said there is always high possibility for occurrence of traffic accidents because of low visibility especially if drivers speed up or drive recklessly. He also warned drivers that the weather condition will be unstable as per the advise of National Center of Meteorology and Seismology.

Al Mazroui said Dubai traffic police are stationed at junctions and intersections at crowded areas and internal roads and highways to immediately intervene in case of emergencies. Meanwhile Major Khazraj Al Khazraj acting director of Command and Control Room of the Dubai Police said the Dubai Police is ready to receive any calls on the emergency number 999.

He called on the residents to be on alert and also to actively cooperate with the police to reduce damages and losses that usually occur during the rainy season.

Mother who killed daughter in car accident pleads for mercy

March 10, 2016

A young mother who admitted to killing her daughter in a car crash has pleaded not to be sent to jail telling the court that she has been “punished enough”. The court heard that Joanne Tedesco is overcome with guilt that she ended her child’s life. Tedesco, 33, was driving with her daughter Nicola Tedesco, 8, when she ploughed into a telegraph pole near Kidman Park, in Adelaide’s west, in April 2015.

Nicola Tedesco was eight-years-old when she died in the car accident. Source: 7 News.

Tedesco, a successful business owner who owns six Boost Juice franchises across Adelaide, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated driving without due care.Her husband Robert Tedesco, was driving behind her at the time of the accident and witnessed the fatal crash. Unable to cope with the eight-year-olds death he took his life only a day after the tragic accident. Her daughter, known as Nikki, died in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital from injuries related to the accident.

According to reports, the road was described as both wet and dry by witnesses on scene.The court heard it was the first time Ms Tedesco had driven the BMW V8, which was on sports mode and had traction control switched off.Tedesco sobbed as her lawyer told the court his client was “overcome with guilt”. Her lawyer made the following statment in court. Source: 7 News.

Her lawyer asked the court to impose a fine and license disqualification because Tedesco has two other children to care for aged six and two.Tedesco was flanked by relatives and declined to comment outside court as did members of her late husband’s family.The mother will be sentenced next Wednesday.

No room on the bus? No problem! Hoard of students filmed clinging onto the outside of a bus on their way to school

5 March 2016

Why limit yourself to just sitting inside a bus? An enormous hoard of children have been filmed clinging on to the outside of a bus in the Philippines.The students, on their way to school, hold on around the sides, at the back and even sit on the top of the moving vehicle, as the car behind films the impressive sight.

How many can fit? An enormous hoard of children have been filmed clinging on to the outside of a bus in the Philippines.

Not your average commute: The students, on their way to school, hold on around the side, at the back and even sit on the top of the moving vehicle, as the car behind films the impressive sight

Despite the corners that the bus tackles, the children remain safely (sic!) on board. Eventually it moves into the other lane in order to stop outside the school. The crowd clamber off with ease, no doubt used to the unusual commute, the ones sitting on top climbing down onto the bonnet first.

Road safety is a big concern in the Philippines (not according to these pictures – Ed.), particularly so in the capital, Manila. At the EDSA highway in Manila – the busiest and most traffic problematic area in the Philippines – an average of 28 road accidents occur daily.

Such collisions are one of the leading causes of death in the islands. Current laws and regulations prohibit jaywalking, over-speeding, reckless driving, drunk driving. Rules also apply to the use of bus stops, motorcycle lanes, motorcycle helmets and lights.

Eight killed in Nong Khai pickup truck crash

Bangkok Post 4th March 2016

A pick-up with six people was crashed into by a truck, killing all eight people in the two vehicles early Friday, police said. The accident happened on the Mittraparb Ratanawapi-Pak Khad road in Nong Phai village in Ratanawapi district at 1:40 am.

Police said six people were killed inside a Nissan Navara pick-up and two others in Suzuki Carry truck.

Police said six people in the pick-up were returning from drinking at a bar when their pick-up lost control and blocked the road. The speeding Suzuki apparently did not spot the pick-up in time as the area was dark so it crashed into the pick-up.

South Carolina could raise front-seat passenger age to 13

Sarita Chourey – Morris News Service 3rd March 2016

Children suffer from poor or non-existent restraints in vehicles: South Carolina’s motor vehicle death rate per 100,000 is 19.7, while the national average is 11.7. Motor vehicle traffic accidents make up 49 percent of unintentional deaths to children 5 to 9 years of age. More than half of children who die in automobile collisions are not secured by any type of restraint.

COLUMBIA — South Carolina may raise the minimum age required to ride in the front seat from 6 to 13. In Georgia, the front seat is off limits to children younger than 8 who are less less than 57 inches tall.

A bill introduced by Beaufort Republican Rep. Shannon Erickson would make a host of automobile safety improvements to South Carolina’s notoriously lax law, bringing it from one the nation’s weakest to one of the strongest. The proposal calls for various increases in child-restraint requirements. “I see the results of devastating motor vehicle accidents almost every day. I have had patients die in motor vehicle accidents,” said pediatrician Deborah Greenhouse, immediate past president of the SC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, also representing the SC Children’s Hospital Collaborative. “I have had a patient in the intensive care unit for weeks with numerous fractions, a halo on her head and bolts in her head and her neck.”

Greenhouse, addressing a House committee Wednesday, said the deaths and injuries can be prevented and presented data to back up her support for Erickson’s bill, H. 4869.
Among them: In South Carolina, an elementary school study found that 49 percent of children left the school pick-up line incorrectly restrained; Nearly 34 percent left school property not restrained in any way.

Car seat use reduces by 71 percent the risk of death for infants less than 1 year old by nearly 54 percent for toddlers 1 to 4 years in age. Instead of sending the bill forward committee, the members voted to gather more research on how other states address the issue. The sticking point was the bill’s section raising the minimum age from 6 to 13 for front-seat passengers, an increase Rep. Walt McLeod called “kind of ludicrous.”
The Little Mountain Democrat urged his colleagues to keep the legal age at 6 and emphasized that a drivers license may be obtained age 15.

“It looks to me a little odd to require someone to sit in the back seat until they’re 13,” McLeod said. “Two years thereafter they can waltz in to the Department of Motor Vehicles and get a beginners permit.” Greenhouse said statistics support the position of keeping children younger than 13 from riding in the front seat. “Death rates and injury rates are decreased by 40-70 percent in that age group,” she said. “Once you got above 13, the difference wasn’t there any more.”

Collision accident kills 18 people, injures 16 in Oman

1st March 2106

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A bus traveling through northwestern Oman’s desert crashed into a truck and a passing car later slammed into the wreckage early on Tuesday morning, killing at least 18 people and injuring 16 others, police said.

Authorities received first word of the crash near the Nahdah area on the road connecting the cities of Fahud and Ibri around 1 a.m., Oman police spokesman Mohammed bin Salama al-Hashimi said. Fahud and Ibri are cities west of the capital, Muscat.

He said those hurt in the crash had injuries ranging from serious to minor and had been transported to hospitals throughout the sultanate. The crash tipped the truck over, sending its contents — including plastic bags, cardboard boxes and other debris — all over the two-lane road. The roof of the bus was partly torn off. Authorities later brought a crane to lift away the smashed remains of the vehicles.

Omani police later issued a statement saying their initial investigation led them to believe the bus and the truck had a head-on collision, while the car later crashed into the wreckage. Police officers from Muscat arrived at the scene by helicopter, while workers with Petroleum Development Oman also aided rescuers, authorities said.

Police said six of the dead were from Oman, four were from Saudi Arabia, two were from Pakistan and one was from Yemen. Five others were still unidentified. Among the injured, 11 were from Oman, two were Saudis, one was Pakistani, one was Chinese and one remained unidentified, the police said.

Traffic crashes are not uncommon in the Gulf states. Many drivers speed on long desert highways and large populations of foreign guest workers are a source of motorists who have come to the country with differing driving habits.

In February 2013, at least 22 migrant workers died when a gravel-filled truck with faulty brakes rammed into a bus near in Al Ain, an Emirati city on the Omani border. In May the following year, 15 migrant workers died in a bus crash in Dubai. The death toll in Oman reached 700 people in 2015.

In this photo made available by the Oman Police, Omani civil defense workers rescue people from a damaged bus after a crash, near Nahdah area on the road connecting the cities of Fahud and Ibriin, in Oman, Tuesday March 1, 2016. A bus traveling through western Oman’s desert crashed into a truck and a passing car later slammed into the wreckage today, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than a dozen others, police said.

Google’s self-driving car has caused its first accident

March 1st 2013
A Lexus SUV being controlled by Google’s autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has crashed into the side of a bus, marking what may be the first accident caused by the self-driving technology while it was in full autonomous mode.

The accident, first reported by freelance writer Mark Harris, showed up on an accident report filed with the California DMV on Feb. 23.

The collision — involving an RX450h SUV and a public bus in Mountain View, Calif. — took place on Feb. 14. The Lexus was in “autonomous mode” while traveling about two miles per hour in the right-hand lane as it approached an intersection and signaled for a right hand turn. Sandbags surrounding a storm drain caused the vehicle to move left, into the center lane.

“A public transit bus was approaching from behind. The Google AV test driver saw the bus approaching in the left side mirror but believed the bus would stop or slow to allow the Google AV to continue,” the accident report stated. “Approximately three seconds later, as the Google AV was reentering the center of the lane, it made contact with the side of the bus.”

The report indicated that Google car’s safety driver believed the bus would yield. The bus was traveling at about 15mph, according to the report filed by Chris Urmson, Google’s director of self-driving cars. Read More

UK: Police officer who led crackdown on drink drivers is sacked after being caught three times over the limit by his own colleagues

PC Chris Blount stopped after struggling to control his car in early hours

A police officer who spearheaded a crackdown on drink drivers has been sacked after he was caught three times over the limit by his own colleagues.

PC Chris Blount of West Midlands Police’s collision investigation unit was dismissed after a tribunal yesterday.

He was pulled up in front of the Force’s disciplinary board after he was caught ‘struggling to control’ his Vauxhall Mokka while drunk at 2.30am on November 6. Patrol officers noticed that the car, which was travelling slowly at the time, also sported ‘substantial damage’.

PC Mount was pulled over and his speech was said to be slurred. He was also unsteady on his fleet and officers could smell alcohol. He gave a reading of 101mg per 100ml in a breathalyser – more than three times the legal limit of 30mg per 100ml of breath. In January, the disgraced officer admitted one count of drink driving at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court. He was fined £1,425 and banned from driving for two years for the offence.

West Midlands Police spokeswoman Gina Lycett said: ‘Following a misconduct hearing held on February 24, PC Chris Blount was dismissed from the force for discreditable conduct without notice.’ He now also faces losing his police accommodation home.

Truck crushed Gulabo as she was crossing road,handlers hadn’t chained her

Five policemen have been suspended in Bihar after a police dog, Gulabo, died in a road accident, officials said today. A speeding truck crushed Gulabo in Rohtas district a few days ago when she was crossing a road after her handlers left her free without bothering to chain her, an official said here.

Gulabo was ranked a sub-inspector in the police dog squad. Five policemen, including four handlers and a sub-inspector, were suspended after an inquiry report accused them of negligence.

It is probably the first time that Bihar Police took strict action after the death of a police dog due to negligence.

According to police officials, Gulabo was one of 45 highly trained dogs inducted in the state police. She was brought from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

The Bihar Police dog squad has 62 dogs across the state. Police plan to hike the number to 200.

UK: Man jailed over fatal car crash on A1 near Newark

20th February 2016

Image: CopyrightNottinghamshire Police

Robert Munce was “needlessly distracted” by his mobile phone when he crashed into Margaret Nile’s car. The driver using his mobile phone who crashed into the back of a car, killing a woman, has been jailed.

Robert Munce, 47, was travelling along the A1 near Newark, Nottinghamshire, in November 2014 when he failed to see traffic was slowing down. He hit Margaret Nile’s car at 60mph, killing the 65-year-old and causing a series of other crashes. At Nottingham Crown Court Munce admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was given four years. He was also banned from driving for seven years.

Image copyrightNottinghamshire Police

Image captionMunce was sentenced to more than four years

The court was told the crash happened because Munce, of Dunster Walk, Immingham, North East Lincolnshire, was using his phone “for a prolonged period of time”.

Image copyrightNottinghamshire Police

Image captionPolice said the family of Margaret Nile (pictured) had seen their lives “changed forever”

Det Con Paul Jaycock, from Nottinghamshire Police, said Ms Nile, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, died because Munce was “needlessly distracted by his mobile phone”.

“Margaret’s family now have to try and rebuild their shattered lives. Their lives… have changed forever,” he said.

Thailand: Six killed, 38 injured in bus accident

The Nation February 17th 2016

Six people were killed and 38 others injured when a passenger bus crashed head-on with an 18-wheel trailer truck in Kamphaeng Phet early Tuesday.

Police said the accident happened at 2:30 am on the inbound Phaholyothin Road in Klong Klung district.

Police said the bus was tasking passengers from Rayong to Mae Sot, Tak. Police said the bus was apparently trying to overtake a vehicle but the bus’s speed was limited so it could not avoid the truck on the opposite lane.

Wasant Chaithong, 50, the second bus driver who was behind the wheet at the time of the accident, was among the six killed. Among the injured, 18 were seriously hurt.

Members and manager of indie band Viola Beach die in car crash in Sweden

Sunday 14 February 2016

The five men, aged between 19 and 35, died when their car plunged into a canal in Stockholm during first international tour.

A badly damaged car is towed up from the canal under the E4 highway bridge in Södertälje, Stockholm. Five men were killed on Saturday after the car plunged more than 80ft off a bridge into the canal. Photograph: Tt News Agency/Reuters

Five British men believed to be the members and manager of Warrington-based indie band Viola Beach have died in a car crash in Sweden.

The men, aged between 19 and 35, died when their car smashed into a road barrier and plunged more than 80ft off a bridge into a canal near the capital, Stockholm.

Stockholm police spokeswoman Eva Nilsson said on Saturday that divers had recovered the bodies of five men. Tributes quickly came in on social media to the Cheshire band and their manager.

The cause of the accident on the E4 highway in Södertälje district, south-west of Stockholm, was not known. Swedish media said that at the time of the pre-dawn accident, the bridge over the Södertälje canal was closing after it had been opened to let a vessel sail through. Its warning lamps were flashing and two barriers were blocking the road.

The bridge, at the Saltskogs junction between the E4 and the E20 motorways, has a middle section that rises directly upwards without tilting, leaving a gap that the car drove into.bStockholm police spokesman Inspector Martin Bergholm said: “For some reason, the car drove through the barriers and crashed down into the canal.”Drivers of other cars were waiting behind the barrier but it is not yet known whether a boat had already passed or was waiting to pass. He added: “The witnesses just saw a car beside them and kind of disappear.”

Bergholm said it was not yet known whether the five men were wearing seatbelts but added: “That would not have helped them.” Police received a call at about 2.30am and were first to arrive on the scene, a “maximum five minutes” later. He added: “Police arrived first, then the fire brigade who came with fire brigade divers at the scene and found the car and three bodies. We didn’t know how many people there were in the car but we found out there were five.”

The men were all identified using the passports they had on them and Swedish police are working with the Foreign Office global response centre. Bergholm said the case would be transferred to a specialist traffic incident team on Monday. Dates for the postmortem examination have not yet been confirmed.

Viola Beach were playing at Sweden’s Where’s the Music? festival on Friday, and had dozens of upcoming live shows planned, including one at Warrington’s the Pyramid on 12 March. The band were due to play at the Boiler Room in Guildford on Saturday.The up-and-coming band previously toured with the Courteeners and worked with Communion Records founder and Mumford and Sons producer Ian Grimble.

Viola Beach consisted of the guitarist and vocalist Kris Leonard, guitarist River Reeves, bassist Tomas Lowe and drummer Jack Dakin. The band’s manager was Craig Tarry. Tarry was described as a “man of unshakable optimism” and a passionate Manchester City supporter. The football club’s fans were rallying on Twitter to arrange a round of applause during the Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur Premier League match on Sunday.

Bihar India: 17 killed in twin road accidents

13th February 2016

At least 17 people lost their lives and around 27 others were injured in two different accidents that took place in Bihar on Saturday morning.

The first accident took place in Sasaram District when a truck rammed into a tractor in the wee hours. 11 people died on the spot while 24 other got badly injured and were rushed to the Sasaram Sadar Hospital.

The second incident is of Wazirganj town where a truck and a Scorpio had a head-on collision in which six people lost their lives and three others were injured. (ANI)

UK: Speeding driver who killed two young sisters crossing road to Sunday School jailed for 4 years

11 FEB 2016 BY BRETT GIBBONS

Michael Junior admitted two charges of causing the death of seven-year-old Lily Wu and Shelley Wu, six.

A man has been jailed for four years after he caused the death of two sisters as they walked to Sunday School.

Michael Junior, 35, of Birmingham, admitted two charges of causing the death of seven-year-old Lily Wu and Shelley Wu, six by dangerous driving. The engineer has been jailed for four years for causing the death of two young sisters in a road accident in Birmingham.

They were struck by his Seat Leon in Grove Lane, Handsworth, on June 21 last year.

Masked: Michael Junior was today jailed for four years for causing the death of two sisters age six and seven

He was also banned from driving for five years.

Junior also admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving to the sisters’ 39-year-old mother Zhulan Wu and two other children, who cannot be identified, when he appeared at Birmingham Crown Court for sentence on Thursday morning.

The court had earlier heard from prosecutors that Junior was driving at 47mph when he smashed into the girls and family members who were crossing the road. Witnesses reported seeing a group of people walk out in front of a parked bus before the accident.

Sentencing Junior, Judge Murray Creed said: “You were driving at one and a half times the speed limit, you were passing a bus with little or no visibility.” The judge added: “The lives of two young children have been ended by your driving.

Heartbreaking: Lily and Shelly Wu’s funeral procession their mother was left with terrible head injuries

“You caused injury to the three others and significant psychological trauma to Mrs Wu.” The girls’ mother is continuing to recover from serious head injuries.

Traffic accidents kill 66 on first three days of Tet holiday

By Mai Ha, Thanh Nien News Tuesday, February 09, 2016

A total of 97 traffic accidents left 66 people dead and 85 others injured on the first three days of Vietnam’s Tet Lunar New Year holiday, starting on Saturday, according to official figures.

Of all the accidents, 32 happened on Monday, or the New Year’s Day, killing 21 and injuring 30 others, the Department of Traffic Police under the Ministry of Public Security reported. Compared to the New Year’s Day last year, the number of accidents declined 59.2 percent, while death toll decreased 58 percent.

Vietnamese celebrate their biggest holiday of the year from February 6-14.

8 killed,6 injured in Nuwakot microbus accident in Nepal

Kathmandu Feb.7 2016

At least eight persons were killed and six others were injured when a microbus met with an accident at Madanpur-8 of Nuwakot District of Nepal on Saturday.

The Himalayan Times quoted Deputy Superintendent of Police Siddhi Bikram Shah of the District Police Office, Nuwakot, as saying that the vehicle was heading towards Trishuli from Kathmandu when the incident occurred around 1 p.m..

The identities of the deceased are yet to be established, Shah said. He said that the injured have been taken to Kathmandu for treatment. Shah informed that the police personnel and locals are carrying out rescue operation and the reason behind the accident is yet to be ascertained.

Three others were killed in separate incidents of road accident on Saturday. A ten-year-old boy died when he was hit by a bus in Chitawan district in southern Nepal. A motorcycle rider was killed when he was hit by a tractor in jhapa district.

A 35-year-old man was killed when he was hit by a vehicle in saptari district in eastern Nepal. In Siraha, another 50-year-old person died when a pickup van hit a hand pulling cart. Poor road infrastructure and reckless driving are the leading causes of accidents in Nepal.

According to the WHO, road accidents are the world’s eighth leading cause of death. About 70% of the deaths from road accidents occur in developing countries. As per the Nepal’s traffic police data, on an average five to seven people are killed in road accidents every day in the country.

MTV Roadies Crew Injured In Accident In West Bengal

February 07, 2016

The bus lost control and overturned.

KOLKATA: Several crew members of MTV’s reality show Roadies were injured in a road accident in West Bengal on Saturday morning. The bus that they were travelling in lost control and overturned near Darjeeling ‘s Peshok view point, in West Bengal.

While two of the seriously injured are in hospital, nine others were released after receiving medical aid. Doctors treating the injured in a hospital in West Bengal’s Siliguri said they are out of danger.

Victim in distracted driving accident awarded $1.3 million

MONTGOMERY CO., AL (WSFA) 5th February 2016

A jury has sided with the victim in a school bus crash, pointing the blame on a driver who was distracted behind the wheel.

The victim, Michael Duey, hopes his ordeal leaves an impact on other drivers as he continues his length recovery.

Duey’s life changed in a split second on January 16, 2013 when he collided with a school bus. “I can’t do anything I used to do. It’s hard for me to get around,” he said.

Duey, of Eufaula, was represented by Myron Penn and Shane Seaborn of Penn & Seaborn, LLC and Mark Andrews of Morris Cary Andrews Talmadge and Driggers, LLC. He sued the distracted driver and his company and this week, a jury found the other driver liable. Duey was awarded nearly $1.3 million.

On the day of the accident, Duey was driving on Highway 231 in Montgomery County, hauling building materials to Illinois for work. Ahead of him, Gregory Moore was driving a rented box truck and was making calls for work and failed to stop for a bus that was unloading children with its lights flashing.

Onboard bus video provided by Duey’s attorneys shows the accident sequence. Moore swerved at the last second in an effort to avoid a collision but clipped the rear of the bus. Duey was behind Moore and unaware that there was a school bus stopped up ahead since he couldn’t see around the truck. With nowhere to go and no time to react when Moore suddenly swerved, Duey hit the back of the stopped school bus. Photos of the wreckage are hard for him and his wife to look at, even three years later.

Duey’s legal representation says cell phone records show that Moore, who was working for McKelvey Mechanical, an HVAC company in Tuscaloosa, was making calls to subcontractors for a government bid at Fort Rucker. Mark Andrews says Moore’s own expert testified that he had nine seconds and almost 1,000 feet of stopping distance. Moore reportedly contended that the calls from his phone were inadvertent “butt dials.”

Duey broke both of his knees in the crash, as well as his hip and his left arm in several places. He suffered permanent nerve damage in both legs. “I spent 31 days in a coma, 47 in the hospital and I’m still having troubles,” he said. “I had several more knee surgeries. It’s just been hard.”

He thanked the judge and jury for hearing his case and feels that the jurors sent a message with their verdict about the dangers and consequences of distracted driving.

Jordan- 16 injured in road accidents

1st February 2016

(MENAFN – Jordan News Agency) Amman Jan 30 (Petra) Some 16 people were injured Saturday in traffic accidents in Amman Zarqa and Irbid according to a Civil Defence Department statement.

The CDD Media and Protective Education unit said seven people were hurt in a two-vehicle collision in West Amman. The injured were treated on the spot by CDD medics before being transferred to the Al Hussein Medical Centre where they were listed in a fair condition.

Separately Zarqa civil defence teams handled an accident involving a vehicle in Yajouz that injured five occupants administering first aid to them and taking them to a local hospital where they were reported in a fair condition.

In the northern city of Irbid three vehicles collided on a road injuring four people. CDD teams treated them on the spot and moved them to a nearby military hospital and were in a moderate condition.

Oman- Four killed in school bus accident in Bahla

31st January 2016 (MENAFN – Muscat Daily) Muscat-

Four persons including two students and a teacher and a driver died and 20 students sustained injured when the bus in which they were travelling met with an accident in Bahla today. The students are hailing from Indian School Nizwa.The deceased are reported to be seven years old while the driver is an Omani national. The girl died at Nizwa hospital and the boy in Bahla.According to parents students of the school had gone to a picnic in Bahla in four buses.

The accident occurred while they were coming back. One of the buses met withthe accident which as hit by another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. The bus had 28 students inside. Bahla police station official told Muscat Daily that the accident took place at the intersection. ‘The accident took place as the bus was trying to take a U-turn. The accident took place at 1.40pm on Thursday’ the official said.’The second car was going from Nizwa to Jibreen and the bus was going to the opposite direction’ the official said.The students are undergoing treatment in Nizwa Hospital and other hospitals.

Six killed in Azerbaijan traffic accidents in one day

31st January 2016

Baku. Shahriyar Alizade –APA. Six people died and fifteen were injured as a result 5 traffic accidents that occurred in Azerbaijan on Jan. 29, said the message posted on the Interior Ministry’s website.

Malta (Pop 423,000): 11 fatal and 15,504 traffic accidents in 2015

30th January 2016

Thursday worst for traffic accidents

Most traffic accidents took place between 9am and 12pm, and Birkirkara was the locality that registered the highest rate of accidents, with 318 cases.

In the fourth quarter of 2015, the number of reported traffic accidents reached 3,727, an increase of 95 cases over the corresponding quarter in 2014.

Increases were recorded in most districts, the biggest percentage increase (24.3 per cent) occurred in the Western region. The Northern Harbour region registered the most accidents – 1,450 cases, or 38.9 per cent of the total.

In the period under review, 429 traffic casualties were reported, of which 254 involved drivers. 217 injuries in this group were slight and another 37 were reported as grievous. During this period 32 other persons (5 passengers and 27 pedestrians) suffered grievous injuries, while 140 (81 passengers and 59 pedestrians) were slightly injured. Furthermore, the injuries suffered by three pedestrians proved fatal.

On a gender basis, slightly-injured persons in the fourth quarter of 2015 numbered 357: 198 males and 159 females. Grievously-injured persons totalled 69, the majority being males. The fatalities in the quarter involved two males and one female. The majority of casualties were in the 25-39 age bracket.

Almost 69.2 per cent of traffic casualties were caused by passenger cars, followed by motorcycles at 19.6 per cent; 6.1 per cent were caused by goods-carrying vehicles.

In the fourth quarter of 2015, the highest traffic accident rate occurred on Thursdays, accounting for 15.8 per cent or 588 cases, and the lowest on Sundays, with 386 cases even though the same day topped the highest casualty-to-accident ratios.

The daily time bracket in which most accidents occurred is between 09:00 and 11:59, with 816 cases, or 21.9 per cent of the total. This is followed by the 12:00- 14:59 time bracket, with 782 cases (21.0 per cent of total). The least number of accidents occurring daily took place between 03:00 and 05:59 (90 cases or 2.4% ).

In the period under review, Birkirkara continued to register the highest rate of traffic accidents, with 318 cases. Hal Qormi and Mosta were next, with 191 and 174 reported accidents respectively.

Annual perspective

In 2015, the total number of recorded accidents totalled 15,504, an increase of 7.1 per cent over 2014. The Northern Harbour region registered the highest number of traffic accidents with 5,819 cases, or 37.5 per cent of the total.

Last year there were 1,711 persons (997 males and 714 females) who suffered injuries due to traffic accidents, of which 11 cases (eight males and three females) proved fatal. In 2015, 71.5 per cent of casualties were caused by passenger cars while 18.6 per cent were caused by motorcycles.

The highest number of traffic accidents in 2015 occurred in the locality of Birkirkara totalling 1,187 cases, or 7.7 per cent of the total. Hal Qormi and Marsa were next, with 776 and 749 reported accidents respectively.

1 killed, 17 injured in traffic accident on major İstanbul highway

January 28, 2016, Thursday

One person was killed and 17 others were injured when a minibus overturned along İstanbul’s TEM highway on Thursday night.

The minibus which was carrying workers overturned near the Mahmutbey tollbooths of the TEM freeway around 8 p.m., killing one and injuring 17 others. Ambulances were dispatched to the scene and those injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

Oman- Three killed in school bus accident in Bahla

(MENAFN – Muscat Daily) Muscat- 29th January 2016

Three persons including a girl and a boy student and a driver died and 20 students sustained injured when the bus in which they were travelling met with an accident in Bahla today. The students are hailing from Indian School Nizwa. The deceased are reported to be seven years old while the driver is an Omani national. The girl died from Nizwa hospital and the boy in Bahla.According to parents students of the school had gone to a picnic in Bahla in four buses.

The accident occurred while they are coming back. One of the buses met with the accident which as hit by another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. The bus had 28 students inside.Bahla police station official toldMuscat Dailythat the accident took place at the intersection. ‘The bus took place as the bus was trying to take a U-turn. The accident took place at 1.40pm on Thursday’ the official said.’The second car was going from Nizwa to Jibreen and the bus was going to the opposite direction’ the official said.The students are undergoing treatment in Nizwa Hospital and other hospitals.

“Wonderful Life” singer Colin Vearncombe, known as Black, has died a week after a car accident left him with serious head injuries.

A simple message on his Facebook page read: “Colin Vearncombe. 26/5/1962 – 26/1/2016. You’ll never walk alone.” The 53-year-old’s management had said it would take a “miracle” for him to pull through following the accident in Ireland on 10 January.

He had been driving from his home in Schull to Cork Airport to catch a flight to Edinburgh. Black’s wife, Camilla, and three sons had been at his bedside since the accident. The musician gained international success in 1987 with the song “Wonderful Life” and released 15 albums, as well as published poetry and held exhibitions of his paintings. Originally from Liverpool, he had lived in Ireland for the past 10 years.

Australia: Accident kills two

27th January 2016

Police at the scene of an accident at Keilor East in Melbourne, where a ute plunged off the EJ Whitten Bridge.

India: 10 killed, several injured in bus accident

Shillong, Jan.26 : At least ten people were killed and several others injured after a bus fell into a gorge in East Jaintia Hills, about 150 km east of Shillong, this morning.

According to reports, the bus was going towards Assam’s Hailakandi district when it rolled down the hill at Tongseng.

The injured are being treated at a nearby hospital.

Traffic accidents still No. 1 killer in KSA

26th January 2016

COMMON SIGHT: Skidding and use of mobile phones by drivers are the main causes of accidents in the Kingdom, says an official.

DAMMAM: The nation has failed to meet the challenge of traffic accidents that remain the leading cause of deaths in the Kingdom, Public Security Director Othman Al-Mihrij has said.

“The traffic problem in the Kingdom has become a huge challenge, and the major responsibility for it lies with the public security system, as represented by the General Directorate of Traffic,” he said.
Speaking during a recent meeting with the managers of traffic departments of all regions of the Kingdom in Riyadh, Al-Mihrij said that expansion of cities, urban development and the increasing number of cars are the reasons behind the problem.

Violation of traffic rules is due to a poor community culture which could be corrected through the cooperation of all authorities concerned, including the Ministry of Transport, municipalities, Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, he said.
Al-Mihrij said that the traffic directorate regularly monitors the performance of traffic departments to identify shortcomings that need to be addressed. “The traffic file is unsatisfactory due to the high rate of accidents. This requires the cooperation of all stakeholders in the public and private sectors, as well as members of the public.”
The meeting, he said, was convened to discuss a wide range of traffic issues, including traffic rules, high rate of accidents, general traffic safety and the activation of the role of traffic departments in solving recurring problems.

Another key topic discussed at the meeting was the government’s evaluation mechanism for traffic performance and improvement. Al-Mihrij said that the Ministry of Interior seeks to soon roll out an advanced traffic safety system, “Saher,” across the Kingdom, which will increase the number of road security cameras in towns and villages by 100 percent.

“The lack of respect for traffic regulations by citizens as well as residents is one of the main reasons behind accidents, especially youngsters who form the majority as far as reckless driving is concerned.” The General Directorate of Traffic is working on a technical program to enable citizens to document traffic violations and accidents by taking pictures and videos and sending them to the operating room electronically, Al-Mihrij added.

Two people killed after car crashes through barrier and plunges into canal in Bristol

25 January 2016

Two people have died after a car plunged into a canal in Bristol earlier this evening, police have confirmed.Dozens of emergency crews were called to the scene at the Feeder Canal near Bristol Temple Meads station. Eyewitnesses described the car as ‘sinking like a stone’ after it crashed through a barrier and into the water. It is understood the vehicle has still not been recovered from beneath the canal, pictured

Avon and Somerset Constabulary said it was called to the incident at around 6pm. A spokesman said: ‘The bodies of two people have been located following the road traffic incident off Feeder Road. ‘The incident took place when a car, driving from the direction of Short Street, failed to stop on Feeder Road and drove into the canal.

Canadian driver, 80, who claimed he was too old to clear his windscreen is charged after driving with just a tiny portion of window visible

21 January 2016

An 80-year-old man was charged after driving a car that was almost completely covered in snow with only a portion of the driver’s side windshield cleared for vision, police said.

Ontario Provincial Police said Wednesday the man received a $110 ticket after an officer spotted a car resembling a pile of snow on the road in Brussels, Ontario on Tuesday.

Police spokesman James Stanley said the man said he was too old and weak to brush it off. The officer cleared the snow from the man’s car and let him on his way.

‘He was going for a short drive in town. I understand his excuse was he was too old, too weak to brush off the snow,’ Stanley said.

Australia: Highway cattle collisions increase in Kimberley, victims’ family says more needs to be done

Patrick Davies says Kimberley highways are still unacceptably dangerous five years after two of his nephews and a woman were killed when stray cattle caused a horrific car accident. “We lost two nephews, there were three of them in the car, two of them died in the accident along with a lady, who also died,” Mr Davies told Vanessa Mills on ABC Kimberley Local Radio.

The young men were driving on the Great Northern Highway when their ute hit a cow, which forced them into the path of an oncoming vehicle. “A stray animal ran across the road in-between the two cars as they were approaching each other,” Mr Davies said. Police said at the time that the two brothers were killed instantly, while the second car caught fire, killing the female driver, before a passing motorist rescued two children who were trapped inside.

Mr Davies said that losing two members of his close-knit family in one incident was devastating. “It was a sad occasion for our family; it was before Christmas,” he said. “One of the young nephews had just finished his trade in the mines, he had his whole life ahead of him.” “The two brothers were the breadwinners in their families.”

Following the deaths of his two nephews, Mr Davies set up a Facebook page to raise awareness about the dangers of cattle on Kimberley roads.

“I felt at the time that there needed to be something done, so I created a Kimberley Cattle Alert Facebook page to highlight the issue,” he said. While researching the topic, he found that responsibility for cattle on highways was shared between pastoralists and the State Government.

“Main Roads are apparently responsible for constructing fences and the station managers are responsible for maintaining the fence lines,” Mr Davies said. He also discovered that local governments could fine pastoralists for stray stock. “There is a Local Government Act that is already in place. On there it was saying it is $200 a head,” Mr Davies said.

“You just wonder whether that’s actually being enforced, and how many people actually know about that act?”

Peter Sewell, the Director of Regional Operations for Main Roads, acknowledged there was a problem in the Kimberley, highlighting statistics from the 250 kilometres of highway, between Derby and Broome.

“In the last 12 months we’ve had 89 dead beasts on that road,” Mr Sewell said. “That’s a concern to us, in fact it’s probably tripled since 2013.”Mr Sewell said there are moves to improve the situation.”We’re waiting to sign some fencing agreements with that station owner,” he said. Main Roads have also updated warning signs in known danger areas. “So we’re trying to do the best we can with the money we’ve got,” he said.

Mr Sewell said that police and local government have the powers to prosecute pastoralists over stray animals, but that this rarely happened.

“They just don’t have the resources either, to just wander up and down the highways prosecuting pastoralists,” he said.

Five years after his nephews died, Mr Davies said he was becoming resigned to the fact that cattle would continue to be a hazard on Kimberley highways.

“In a way I haven’t given up, but I’m not holding my breath that anything’s going to be done anytime soon,” he said. However, he refused to accept that the risk of hitting stray cattle was something people in the Kimberley should learn to live with. “The public have a right to be safe on the highway,” Mr Davies said.

8 Students Killed As Car Rams Tree In Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore

Investigators say the men were students of MIT Polytechnic in Salem district.

CHENNAI: Eight students were killed in a road accident in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu as their car hit a tree at Vanamadevi. One student survived and is being treated.

The District Superintendent of Police Vijayakumar said, “We suspect the young students were drunk and speeding. The car was clearly overcrowded with people.” “The accident happened on a road that has very little traffic,” he added.

Investigators say the men were students of MIT Polytechnic in Salem district.

At least 14 people have been killed after an overnight tour bus crashed down a mountainside on its way to a ski resort in central Japan, leaving 27 injured.

Fire and disaster officials say the bus veered off to the opposite lane on a mountain road near a famous resort town of Karuizawa, 120km northwest of Tokyo in the Nagano prefecture at 2am on Friday.

The tour bus rammed through a guardrail and slid down the mountainside.

The bus was carrying 41 people, including two drivers who were taking turns, when it crashed in the early hours of Friday. 27 people were hospitalised and 19 remain in a critical condition. It’s claimed most passengers were in their teens and twenties and were travelling to Kita Shiga, a popular ski resort in Shiga Prefecture, from Tokyo. The reason for the crash is currently unknown as there was no sign of snow or ice on the road surface

Japanese media say the bus fell three metres down the mountainside and landed on its side, with its front window smashed in. The reason for the crash is currently unknown as there was no sign of snow or ice on the road surface.

The tourist bus is understood to have left for their planned four hour journey from Tokyo’s Harajuku district on Thursday evening and crashed early Friday morning. Passengers were traveling as part of a Tokyo travel agency’s ski tour package, according to the Japan Times.

Three school students killed in accident in Punjab

12th Jan 2016

At least three school students were killed and nearly 25 others injured when a school bus fell from a bridge in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district on Tuesday morning, police said.

The bus, belonging to a private school, was ferrying the students to the school in Fatehgarh Churian town near Batala, 260 km from Chandigarh. The injured students were taken to hospitals in Batala and Amritsar.

The accident took place when a van collided with the school bus. Its driver lost control over the bus, which smashed against the railing on the small bridge and fell into a drain.

Thirteen people are injured after THREE double-decker buses crash in London’s Parliament Square

11 January 2016

Three new red double-decker buses were smashed after they collided in London’s Parliament Square, leaving 13 people injured.

The accident, which included the three new ‘Boris buses’ and a van, happened on Victoria Street just after 2.30pm

Emergency services, a paramedic, four ambulances and the hazardous response team were called to the scene. Smashed: Three double-decker buses crashed into each other in Parliament Square today and 13 people were left injured in the accident

Emergency services, including a paramedic, four ambulances and the hazardous response team, were called to the scene of the accident. No one was trapped in the accident and 35 people evacuated before the emergency services arrived. A man had a suspected spinal injury

The double-decker buses were said to be brand new Routemasters or ‘Boris buses’, which were launched in 2012

New Zealand: Young boy killed in driveway accidentally let handbrake off

Monday Jan 11, 2016

The young boy was killed trying to escape a car as it rolled backwards down a driveway, police say. Photo / File

A young boy was killed trying to escape a car as it rolled backwards down a steep farm driveway near Tokoroa, police say.

The 3-year-old boy, who is yet to be named at the coroner’s request, was hit at about 9.30am yesterday on the private driveway leading to his family’s farm. The coroner has made a rare order suppressing the name of the boy and anything likely to identify him. It is not known when this might be lifted.

He died soon afterwards, despite the efforts of family, neighbours and emergency service staff to resuscitate him. Serious Crash Unit investigations indicate the boy was in the driver’s seat of the older-model sedan and released the handbrake causing it to roll backwards down the driveway, Sergeant Terry Garnett, of Tokoroa police, said.

“I couldn’t say how steep [the driveway] is but it’s a reasonable incline,” he said. “It appears the boy either fell out of the car or tried to get out and then was hit.” Police were yet to confirm whether the boy’s brother was in the car, Mr Garnett said.

In 2005, siblings Hayley Jayne Keenan, 20 months, and Cory Andrew Keenan, 4, died after the double-cab utility they were in alone plunged down a steep hill on Mt Hyde Station, near Hindon, 40km northwest of Dunedin.

Their father, Andrew Keenan, told police the children had been playing in a paddock while he was digging out thistles on the property. The ute was parked, with the gear-stick in reverse and the handbrake on, but he turned around to see it moving. He chased the vehicle but was unable to stop it or resuscitate the children.

Safekids Aotearoa director Ann Weaver said yesterday’s fatality was another sad reminder to be vigilant with children around driveways. “It is very sad to hear of this, it is so sad and our thoughts are with the family who have lost their child,” she said. “It is that time to remind parents to be extra vigilant with children around vehicles.”

Sixteen people killed in Mexican bus accident

11 January 2016

The Civil Protection Agency and family members help injured people after the crash in Veracruz, Mexico

A bus carrying amateur football players and fans plunged into a river after careening off a bridge in eastern Mexico, leaving at least 16 people dead, authorities said.

Another 10 people were injured in the crash in the municipality of Atoyac in the eastern state of Veracruz.A preliminary investigation found that the bus was speeding, causing the driver to “lose control” of the vehicle over a speed bump and break through a safety barrier, the state government said in a statement.The bus “fell into the bottom of the Atoyac river,” the statement said, adding that “16 bodies and 10 injured people were recovered”.Local civil protection officials reported an earlier toll of eight dead and 30 injured.The bus was taking the players to an amateur football game and children were among the passengers.

Eight killed 48 injured in western Turkey bus accident

MENAFN – The Journal Of Turkish Weekly 10th Jan 2016

(MENAFN – The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) At least eight people died and 48 others were injured when a passenger bus carrying mostly Syrian refugees overturned in Turkey’s western province of Balikesir on early Saturday officials said.

According to initial reports the bus driver – Turkish citizen Yasar Ozkan 63 – and seven Syrian refugees died at the scene near the Balikesir-Canakkale E-87 highway.The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.According to the police seven of the injured are in a itical condition.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency Havran district governor in Balikesir Yasin Ozturk said: “Four female and three male refugees as well as the driver lost their lives [in the accident].”One of the 48 injured was from Algeria Ozturk added.Seventeen children and one pregnant woman were among those hurt the governor added.Turkey is a key route for Syrian refugees fleeing civil war en route to Europe; the country currently hosts 2.4 million such refugees.

Eleven killed, 20 injured in bus accident near Tirunelveli

The bus that overturned in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district leading to the death of 11 people

Eleven people including two children were killed while at least 20 others were injured when the driver of a private bus they were travelling in lost control resulting in the bus overturning near South Valliyur, 40 kilometres from Tirunelveli town in Tamil Nadu.

M Karunakaran, district collector of Tirunelveli said the accident happened at around 5.30 am today morning. “Initial reports say that the accident happened when the driver suddenly turned the bus to avoid hitting a water tank after he lost control. The bus was coming from Karaikal and most of them were travelling to Thiruvananthapuram. We are just confirming the death of 11 people. All injured had been shifted to Nagercoil Medical College,” he said.

According to police, about 38 passengers were travelling in the bus, some are critical. “More number of doctors and officials are being deployed at the medical college hospital,” said the officer.

Jordan- Two dead 29 injured in traffic accidents fire

5th January 2016

(MENAFN – Jordan News Agency) Amman Jan. 5 (Petra)–Two people were killed and 29 others were injured in traffic accidents and a fire in various parts of the Kingdom according to a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement.

In Al Qasr town in the southern governorate of Karak a 55-year-old man died of his wounds after his vehicle overturned. CDD personnel evacuated the body to Karak Public Hospital.

A 60-year-old woman also died of third-degree burns in Khalid Al Walid village after afire broke out in her house. CDD cadres put out the fire while emergency teams vacuated the body to Al Bashir Hospital.

In Kufr Rakib area in the northern governorate of Irbid five people were also injured in a traffic accident. CDD personnel administered first aid to the injured and took them to Princess Raya Public Hospital where they were listed in moderate condition.

CDD crews also administered first aid to six people who were also injured in a two-vehicle collision in Ghour Al Safi. They also administered first aid to 6 people who suffered food poisoning in Sahab in Eastern Amman.

1 Killed, 15 Injured In Telangana Bus Accident

January 05, 2016

The accident occurred in Kagaznagar mandal of Adilabad district, about 300 km from Hyderabad.

HYDERABAD: One person was killed and 15 others injured when a bus fell off a bridge in Telangana’s Adilabad district today, police said.

The accident occurred in Kagaznagar mandal of Adilabad district, about 300 km from Hyderabad. The bus belonging to Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) fell off the bridge across a dried-up stream when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle.

The bus was on its way from Kagaznagar to Bejjur in the same district. The injured were rushed to government hospital in Kagaznagar.

680 People Became Victims of Road Accidents in Bulgaria in 2015

January 2, 2016, Saturday

The Vitinya tunnel on Hemus motorway was the site of a multiple-vehicle collision in October, which claimed the lives of three people and left tens injured. Photo: BGNES

Road accidents in Bulgaria claimed the lives of 680 people in 2015, with the number of victims increasing compared to 2014. The negative trend for the number of victims to increase with each successive year has been sustained for the third consecutive year, Darik radio informs.

The latest figures of traffic police for the end of last year show that 7296 road accidents occurred last year, in which 8946 people were injured. Among the problems responsible for the increase in the number of victims are: the lack of coordination between state bodies; outdated legislation; absence of system for funding of road safety campaigns and events.

These problems, particularly the legislation dating back to 1969, contribute to a lower collection rate of fines. Road violators often avoid paying fines, which creates a sense of lawlessness and fuels their arrogance.

The Bulgarian Association of Victims in Car Accidents calls for taking off licence plates of violators, who refuse to pay fines for being caught to exceed the speed limit by more than 50 km/h or drink driving.

NZ: 12 remain in hospital after horror crash near Arthur’s Pass

By John Weekes, Brendon McMahon Friday Jan 1, 2016

The New Zealand Transport Agency said State Highway 73 would reopen at 6pm but motorists should expect delays until around 7.

A Tasman Police spokeswoman said 36 people were involved in the crash. Photo / Jodi Gauci

Twelve people remain in hospital after a car and tourist bus collided in the Otira Gorge near Arthurs Pass yesterday.Seven patients are in Christchurch Hospital – two in a critical condition and five serious – and five are in Greymouth Hospital with minor to moderate injuries.The Herald understands police from around New Zealand have been called upon to assist with translating victim and witness statements. The bus passengers were all Asian tourists.In total, 36 people were caught up in the crash and the bus was left lying on its side after the collision.The crash happened on State Highway 73, about 1km from the rock shelter at Windy Point in the South Island high country.At least one person was trapped under the bus.

The bus was travelling from Franz Josef to Christchurch. Three people were in the van, a police spokesperson said this afternoon. The Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust said four helicopters were deployed to deal with the “mass casualty situation”.

Three people were flown to Christchurch Hospital emergency department, arriving by 1.26pm. Meanwhile, St John paramedics assessed more than 20 people at the scene for injuries. Eight patients had arrived at Christchurch Hospital by 2.20pm with injuries ranging from “minor to very serious”, St John said. Another eight crash victims were taken by ambulance to Grey Base Hospital in Greymouth. Mr Henderson said the patients taken to Grey Base all had minor or moderate injuries. The remaining bus passengers escaped injury. Police were taking these passengers back to Greymouth, St John said.

Police said all 36 people involved in the crash were tourists.

Myanmar: 178 killed in road accidents on first three New Year ‘dangerous days’

The Nation January 1, 2016

The Road Safety Centre reported 178 fatalities during the first three days of the New Year accident-monitoring period (December 29-31). It saw 1,755 injuries from 1,691 road accidents. Only 16 from 77 provinces reported no fatalities.

Speeding, careless driving and driving under the influence are the main causes of traffic fatalities.

COSTARICA – Traffic accidents continue to take lives and leaves many injured on our roads, with speeding, careless driving and under the influence the leading causes of the carnage.Just in 12 hours, three children were sent to hospital and a motorcyclist lost his life in two separate accidents.

The first, minutes before 5:00pm, in what witnesses say a speeding SUV with at least three children inside, hit a taxi on the Calle Morenos, the road that connects La Sabana and Hatillo. Witnesses said the SUV was speeding, crossed the median, hitting the oncoming taxi, spun out of control, landing in the opposite direction, in the ditch, against the retaining wall.

Crash News World 2015

Myanmar: 104 killed in road accidents on first two New Year ‘dangerous days‘

The Nation December 31, 2015

The Road Safety Centre reported that besides the 104 deaths, the first two days of the New Year accident-monitoring period saw 1,080 injuries from 1,029 road accidents. All three statistics were down from last year.

At the Road Safety Centre, Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said that on Wednesday alone, 65 persons were killed and 624 wounded in 590 road accidents.

Driving under the influence and speeding – at 20.2 per cent and 16.9 per cent – remained the major causes of accidents. Two-wheel vehicles accounted for 84.7 per cent of all accidents, she said.

The accident took place at Mehta village, 15 kilometers from here, when the bus hit the “overloaded” cart carrying labourers.

Two persons suffered serious injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital.

UK: Learner driver fails drug test after careering through police cordon…and his instructor was 4 times the drink-drive limit

31 December 2015

Two persons died on the Ugljarevo-Medvedja road when an Opel swerved to the opposite lane and crashed with a Renault Megane. The 30-year-old driver of the Opel and his 31-year-old passenger lost their lives, while Renault’s driver, a 33-year-old, was injured.

In Kraljevo, a Volkswagen crashed with a Fiat Bravo during an attempt the overtake it.The Volkswagen’s 27-year-old driver was drunk at the time. The driver of the Fiat, who was 39, died instantly, while his 24-year-old passenger sustained serious injuries.

North Korea’s Kim Yang Gon killed in car accident

Kim played a critical role in brokering a deal between North and South in August, after tensions escalated at the border.

Kim Yang Gon, one of Pyongyang’s top negotiators with South Korea, was killed in a car accident on Tuesday, according to North Korea state media.

KCNA reported Kim, 73, died at 6:15 p.m. local time, and that he was a Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee Politburo member, a representative of the Supreme People’s Assembly, and Party secretary. “Comrade Kim Yang Gon, director of the United Front Department of the Korean Workers’ Party and Party Secretary, devoted his struggle to our party’s independent policy of unification,” KCNA said in its statement.Kim played a critical role in brokering a deal between North and South in August, after tensions escalated at the border. After reaching the agreement, Kim had said on North Korean state media that the talks were a “stepping stone” but more dialogue is needed. “It is very fortunate that we were able to find a stepping stone toward peace and security, reconciliation and cooperation,” Kim said in August.

On Wednesday North Korea praised Kim and said he had displayed a spirit dedicated to service, to the country and its people, and according to “unwavering revolutionary principles.” KCNA also stated Kim was a loyal warrior and one of Kim Jong Un’s “closest comrades.” Kim graduated from Kim Il Sung University and served as advisor to North Korea’s Youth League Central Committee and a North Korean foreign cultures commission, South Korean newspaper Donga Ilbo reported.

Kim was known for his skills in diplomacy and was the chief interlocutor in North-South negotiations. Kim also served as North Korea envoy to other countries, including China, North Korea’s most important partner.

Four killed 40 hurt in accidents

MENAFN – Arab News – 29/12/2015

RIYADH: Four people were killed and 40 injured in two road accidents on the Riyadh-Dammam highway and in Madinah according to the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA).
A passenger bus collided head on with a speeding truck on Sunday evening killing two and injuring 35 an SRCA official said here on Monday.

‘Those with minor injuries were discharged after being administered first aid while those with serious injuries were admitted to a nearby hospital’ the official said.
‘As soon as the Red Crescent office was informed of the accident 10 ambulatory teams including our advanced ambulance and field leadership from the Eastern Province and Riyadh rushed to the scene to deal with the emergency’ he said. Eight of the seriously injured people were taken to Riyadh and nine to Araar and Khurais hospitals in the eastern region.

In another accident in Madinah two Saudi women died while four others all members of the family and their foreign housemaid sustained injuries. Khaled Al-Sahli Red Crescent spokesman in Madinah said ‘We received a call about the accident that took place 36 km from the holy city and we rushed four ambulatory teams with medical staff.’ Among the injured people were two children and two women who were referred to a hospital.

In a bid to reduce the number of road accidents the General Directorate of Traffic Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and the Disabled Children’s Association collectively launched a nationwide awareness campaign titled ‘Allah Yatik Khairha’ (May Allah bless you with goodness) last month.

Kuwait: 480 Deaths Were Recorded In 20,000 Cases Of Traffic Accidents – Ministry Of Justice

December 28, 2015

Recent statistics by the Ministry of Justice indicates 480 deaths were recorded in 20,000 cases of traffic accidents registered this year. A total of 20 cases were recorded in July, 38 cases in August, 42 cases in Sept, 39 cases in Oct, 35 cases in November and 40 cases in December.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Court looked into over 9,000 cases in the first half of the year; and sentenced 139 people to prison; withdrew the driving licenses of 186 people for major traffic violations, and collected about KD 212,000 in fines during the period.

Hawally Court issued the highest imprisonment sentences with 29.3 percent, followed by Al-Ahmadi with 28.8 percent, while Jahra, Capital and Farwaniya registered between 16 to 11 percent respectively. The Hawally court withdrew 66 driving licenses and 14 by Farwaniya Court.

Meanwhile, two employees working for the Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) at the Saad Al-Abdullah Terminal have been referred to the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Police Station, reports Al-Shahed daily. The daily added, according to reliable sources both men traded insults over the failure of equipment and blamed each other until police intervened and separated the duo before things got out of control.

UK: Boxing Day tragedy as two women and a man are killed after car ploughs into a group of pedestrians

Three people have died and a man is fighting for his life in hospital after a car ploughed into a group of pedestrians on Boxing Day.The four people were walking along Sutton Road in Askern, Doncaster, when they were hit by a blue Volvo S60 car, at around 11pm last night.Two women, aged 53 and 54, and a 59-year-old man died from their injuries, while a 56-year-old man remains in hospital where he is being treated for life-threatening injuries.

Floral tributes were today placed at the scene of the fatal crash in which three pedestrians died and another was critically injured when they were hit by a blue Volvo S60 car as they walked home in Askern, Doncaster

The driver of the Volvo, a 24-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the incident, South Yorkshire Police said.The families of those involved are now being supported by specialist officers, police said.

A spokesman added: ‘Those involved have not been formally identified and officers would like to remind the public to take care when posting on social media.’Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to call police on 101.

Saudi- 4 die 3 others from same family hurt in highway accident

27th December 2015

(MENAFN – Arab News) RIYADH: Four people died recently while three others from the same family were injured due to a car collision on the road to Thumamah in the Saudi capital.

‘It makes the heart sink that four people died and three others were injured due to carelessness in driving’ said Abdullah Al-Miraibidh Red Crescent official spokesman in Riyadh.

He said that of the three injured one was in critical condition and that they were brought to the hospital after receiving emergency medical treatment. He said that Red Crescent received a call asking for help and immediately sent four emergency medical teams to the scene.

He neither gave further details or mention the ages of those who died and injured but statistics indicate that 65 percent of young people’s death due to car accidents do not exceed the age of 30 years.

He urged motorists to be always careful so that they could arrive at their destination safely citing tragic consequences of carelessness in driving.

Last month eleven Asians were also killed and 14 injured in Al-Adaliah 70 km from Al-Hofuf in Al-Ahsa Governorate. The incident one of the worst this year was a result of a minibus colliding with a truck. The Red Crescent sent five emergency teams to the scene of accident.

Aside from death and injuries carelessness in driving could also result in traffic dispute. Statistics indicate that 24 traffic cases are received by the local courts daily. The Ministry of Justice said Saudi courts received 1690 cases arising from traffic conflicts during the last 70 days or approximately 24 cases a day. Makkah courts received the most number of complaints at 571 followed by Eastern Region (275) and Madinah (141). Courts in Riyadh received 119.

Bus Accident Leaves 24 dead 17 injured In Afghanistan

26th December 2015

Reports from Afghanistan have it that about 24 people were killed when a passenger bus plunged into a ravine after a head-on collision with a truck.

According to officials in northern Afghanistan on Friday, December 25, 2015, women and children were among those killed in the accident Thursday on a major highway in Samangan province

The scene of the accident in Afghanistan. Photo: Yahoo News

According to Yahoo news, a statement by Sarajuddin Fitrat, the governor of Hazrat Sultan district where the accident occurred, read: “The crash happened when the bus carrying more than 50 passengers was travelling from Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif.

“Twenty four people were killed and 17 others were injured.”

UK Peterborough crash: 13 hurt as guide dog charity office hit by bus

24 December 2015

At least 13 people were hurt when a bus hit the offices of a guide dog charity after a collision involving a car.

The single-decker crashed near Peterborough city centre at about 11:43 GMT, Cambridgeshire Police said.

There were no fatalities and all the casualties had what were described as minor injuries. Nobody in the building was hurt.

Stagecoach confirmed one of its buses had been in the crash with a car. The road was cordoned-off near Church Walk.

The East of England Ambulance Service said seven patients were taken to Peterborough City Hospital with a variety of minor injuries, including a female car driver in her 50s and her female passenger.

The other five – four women and one man – were passengers on the bus. Two people were treated at the minor injuries unit and four were discharged at the scene.

Audi driver zooms around petrol station on TWO WHEELS terrifying fellow motorists.

This is the moment a driver terrified other motorists at a petrol station by doing a dangerous two-wheel stunt.

And as a result of his reckless behaviour, the car was confiscated by police in Dubai after they viewed the incident on CCTV.

The £55,000 Audi Q7 was recorded balancing on its two offside wheels as it drove around the service station in the Al Aweer suburb of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.A driver terrified other motorists at a petrol station by doing a dangerous two-wheel stunt in UAE

As a result of the driver’s reckless behaviour, the car was confiscated by police in Dubai

As other motorists parked at petrol pumps looked on in horror, the huge SUV wobbled around them in a complete circle before landing back on all four wheels.

Police traced the vehicle after the garage owners reported the stunt and showed them the CCTV footage.

‘He could have caused a catastrophe with his stunt, as he could have hit one of the petrol pumps at the station.’Police have said the driver’s actions could have caused a ‘catastrophe’ at the petrol station. Police traced the vehicle after the garage owners reported the stunt and handed over CCTV. ‘The vehicle used in the stunt was impounded.’

Monkey steals a bus and crashes it into two parked vehicles while the driver takes a nap in India

23 December 2015

One of the most bizarre traffic accidents of the year has taken place in northern India, where a monkey stole and crashed a bus. The monkey managed to start the engine of the bus while the driver was taking a nap – and even got it moving. The bus hit two other vehicles parked in the garage in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh state, before the driver was able to regain control.

The chicle had been parked at the local bus station between routes, and the conductor had stepped off for a break. The driver, seizing an opportunity for a nap, and stretched out in the back, leaving the keys in the ignition. As the driver dozed off, one of Bareilly’s many street-monkeys climbed in and got behind the wheel. Somehow, the simian managed to turn the key and start the engine, Times of India reports.

This woke the driver, who rushed to the front, but when he shoo-ed the monkey out of the way, the animal accidentally put the bus in second gear. As the driver was shoo-ing it from the seat, the animal somehow put the bus in second gear, forcing bystanders to flee the moving vehicle as it crashed into two other buses

As the monkey jumped out of the bus, it started rolling, and bystanders were forced to jump out of the way. ‘The driver managed to regain control of the bus but not before it hit two other parked buses,’ local public transport manager SK Sharma told Times of India. ‘Monkeys have become a regular menace at bus stations and workshops, where they often fiddle with vehicles undergoing repair. They have also damaged CCTV cameras at stations. ‘Three years we were able to get rid of them the help of municipal authorities to get rid of them but they have returned.’

UK: Driver has miracle escape after climbing out of broken down lorry seconds before horror smash

23 DEC 2015 BY BRETT GIBBONS

Photos of the collision show the wrecked state of the HGV after a car transporter piled into it on the M6 in Birmingham.

A lorry driver had a miraculous escape when he climbed out of his broken down vehicle seconds before another lorry ploughed into it. Photos of the collision show the wrecked state of the HGV after a car transporter piled into it on the M6 in Birmingham.Incredibly, the trucker avoided any injuries after he got out of the lorry when it broke down to move to a safer place, reports the Birmingham Mail. Just as he left the vehicle marooned on the carriageway, a car transporter smashed into the stricken HGV before smashing through a barrier and careering 40ft down an embankment.

Neither driver was hurt during the incident that took place at 10.30am today. Two lanes were closed on the motorway and the collision caused long delays.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Both men are extremely lucky to be alive.”The stationary lorry has suffered significant damage in the collision , having the side and roof completely ripped off.“The driver’s decision to move away from his vehicle has undoubtedly saved him from significant injuries, if not saved his life.”A man in his 40s and a man in his 50s, the latter of whom was driving the car transporter, amazingly both escaped with very minor injuries in the incident which had the potential to be so much worse.”We would urge all motorists to follow the lorry driver’s lead and move well clear of your vehicle should you break down, moving behind any roadside barriers if there are any in the vicinity.”

One person has been killed and at least 37 injured after a car ran down pedestrians in front of a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Several of those injured are in critical condition and the driver of the vehicle is in custody, police said.

Police said was not an act of terrorism, but said that it was “possibly” intentional and an investigation was under way. Peter Boffelli from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told reporters that of the three dozen injured, seven were in critical condition and four had already been released.

Mr Boffelli said it was not immediately clear if the female driver intended to cause harm or if she was impaired, but added that she had been taken into custody. He said she was being interviewed and tested for drugs and alcohol.

“This is a huge tragedy that occurred on our strip,” Mr Boffelli said. University Medical Centre spokeswoman Danita Cohen said men, women and one child were among the injured in the incident on the famed Las Vegas Strip.

She said many of the injured spoke French and requested translators, indicating they could have been tourists visiting the area, which is lined with casinos and luxury resorts. Local media outlet 8 News NOW reported that the driver was a woman and that the crash occurred shortly after 6:30pm local time between Planet Hollywood, where the Miss Universe pageant took place, and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Citing a witness, it said that some men tried to stop the car. The suspect initially left the scene, it reported.

Thai police confirm 13 Malaysians dead in Chiang Mai horror crash

Malaysian ambassador to Thailand, Datuk Nazirah Hussain said in the latest report, 13 Malaysians were killed in the incident 12.20pm incident. “Nine others were injured including four, who sustained serious injuries,” she said. Nazirah said the Thai police have yet to disclose the list of victims.

Earlier, it was believed that at least 16 Malaysians had perished in the tragedy. Reuters had quoted provincial police chief Major General Montri Sambunyanon as saying that the bus, carrying 23 people, had hit a car and ran off a curve in the road in the Doi Saket district, near the northern city of Chiang Mai. Reports claimed that the driver had earlier rammed another vehicle and was trying to flee when the horrific crash occurred.

The 10 other people on the bus, including the Thai driver, were also injured in the crash and are being treated in hospital in Chiang Mai city, Montri said. Two people from the other vehicle involved in the incident were injured as well. The bus was believed to be transporting the passengers to Chiang Mai.

Vietnam: Senior prosecutor probed for causing multiple road crashes

By Pham Anh, Thanh Nien News Tuesday, December 15, 2015

A combination of photos show the state-owned car involved in the accidents on December 4, 2015 (C), and the injured victims. Photo: Pham Anh

Police in Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands have announced they will open a criminal investigation into a chief prosecutor of a local district who is accused of causing multiple accidents earlier this month while driving drunk. Tran Quang Hung, chief prosecutor of Kon Tum’s Tu Mo Rong District, faces charges of causing a series of serious traffic accidents at 5:30 p.m. on December 4.

Police said Hung was driving a state-owned car and caused at least four collisions over nearly 30 kilometers along National Highway 14, leaving eight people injured. A breathalyzer administered after the accidents found that Hung’s breath alcohol concentration to be 0.982 mg per liter. Under Vietnamese law, car drivers cannot have any alcohol in their systems. In Vietnam, doctors use a percentage to determine how injured a victim is and drivers can face criminal charges if they caused injuries of at least 11 percent.

Doctors found that two of Hung’s victims were suffering injures of 37 and 43 percent respectively.The Penal Code also stipulates a punishment of up to 10 years for drivers who caused serious traffic accidents while under the influence of alcohol.

At a recent press briefing, Kon Tum Party Unit spokesman Nguyen The Hai said his agency has instructed Tu Mo Rong District to take relevant measures against Hung, who is a member of the district party unit. Earlier on December 5, Kon Tum Prosecutors’ Office has suspended Hung for investigation.

In April, Kon Tum authorities banned all civil servants from drinking during working hours and their noon breaks.

Australia: ‘Stolen car’ ripped in half after ‘joyrider crashes into school bus while trying to evade police’

15 DEC 2015 BY JON LIVESEY

Remarkably, the driver of the vehicle avoided serious injury after the vehicle was slashed in two, with each half ending up on either side of the road.

An alleged joyrider cheated death when a car was torn in two after smashing into a stationary school bus while being pursued by police.The crash was so severe that the two halves of the vehicle, a maroon estate, ended up on either side of the main road near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.According to reports, the incident started in the Toowoomba suburb of Harlaxton, where police apparently spotted a stolen vehicle.The driver is said to have rammed the police car, prompting an officer to shoot at the vehicle. At that point, one man was taken into custody, while the other sped off.

Ripped up: The vehicle crashed into a stationary school bus and was left like this

Stingers had been placed on the Warrego Highway at Plainland, but the vehicle swerved around them, before the driver lost control and crashed into the bus.

Wrecked car: The two halves of the vehicle ended up on either side of the road

The school transport vehicle was empty.

Lance Hill, 22, was charged with burglary, unlawful use of a motor vehicle,dangerous driving, attempted robbery, assaulting police, unlicensed driving, and trespassing in relation to the incident. Pursuit vehicle: The car was apparently being chased by police when it crashed. He was due to appear before Toowoomba magistrates last week. A 28-year-old man was also expected to face charges following the incident on Tuesday December 8.

Jordan- 2 dead 16 injured in various accidents

MENAFN – Jordan News Agency – 11/12/2015

(MENAFN – Jordan News Agency) Amman Dec. 10 (Petra) — Two people died and 16 others were injured in several accidents across the Kingdom the Civil Defence Department (CDD) said Thursday.

It said one man died from wounds and fractures he sustained following a run-over accident on a Southern Ghour district highway in the Jordan Valley.

Elsewhere another man died of severe cuts and bruises after his vehicle collided with another car in southern Karak governorate. paramedics rushed to the and evacuated the body to a nearby medical center.

Elsewhere in eastern Amman 8 people were injured when a dump truck and a mini van collided but they were reported to be in moderate conditions after medics took them to the Totanji ospital.

Also a man suffered second-degree burns to his head following an electric shock incident and was listed in moderate condition after he was evacuated to a nearby hospital.

Five people sustained light wounds after their vehicle overturned in Al-Zarqa.

Moreover firefighters battled a flame that broke out in an Al-Zarqa home and managed to put it out while medics evacuated one person who suffered breathing difficulties to the Al-Zarqa governmental Hospital.

In Irbid a girl survived a falling incident from a second story but suffered fractures wounds and bruises to different parts of her body the CDD. The girl was reported to be in moderate condition now.

Aussie “Green” Opposition Leader Busted Texting while driving a SUV

Australia’s Federal left wing opposition leader Bill Shorten, who has repeatedly demanded far more ambitious greenhouse gas cuts than the current Australian government, has just been busted on video sending a mobile text message, while driving a SUV.

According to the Australian ABC;

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been fined $455 and has lost four demerit points after he was caught using his mobile phone while driving in Melbourne. A video, obtained by News Corp, showed Mr Shorten driving along Kings Way in August this year with his phone in hand.

Today he made a public apology for the incident. “Like most drivers, I always try to do the right thing,” he said. “But there’s no doubt that using your phone while driving is the wrong thing to do — there’s no excuse for it. “I shouldn’t have done it and won’t do it again.”

Mr Shorten told reporters he had contacted Victorian Police about the vision and would accept any fine that is issued.

Seven die in road accident

MENAFN – Arab News – 10/12/2015

(MENAFN – Arab News) JEDDAH: Seven people died recently in a tragic road accident when a bus carrying a number of female teachers and students collided with a sports utility vehicle on the Umluj-Al-Ruwaidhat road.

The dead included three teachers two girl students and the drivers of both vehicles. The vehicles reportedly collided head-on with the bus bursting into flames. The bus had come from a school on the Hijrat Al-Ruwaidhat road.

Police Saudi Red Crescent and Civil Defense teams arrived on the scene but were not able to save anyone. Khalid Murdhi Al-Anzi spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent in Tabuk said all the passengers had died on the scene which was 20 km from Umluj.

The teachers were Ghada Salim Al-Habishi Rasha Hamza Al-Safri and Juhainah Nasseer Al-Marwani. The two girl students were Nada Nassir Al-Safri and Ahdab Abdur Rahman Al-Saidalani. he drivers who died were identified as Hamdan Hamid Al-Marzouqi and Abdullah Ghanim Al-Dhubyani.

There are no accurate statistics on the exact number of female teachers who have been killed in road accidents in Saudi Arabia while on their way to school and back.
But a recent study indicated that around 150 female teachers died in accidents last year alone. The study noted 56 percent of vehicles used for transporting teachers are not fit to travel on highways while a further 22 percent have worn out tires Al-Riyadh daily reported.
Umm Fatimah works as a teacher at a school more than a hundred kilometers from where she lives. The trip to her school and back home takes 5 hours.

Sometimes the vehicle breaks down midway causing the teachers to be late for class. ‘I remain constantly worried throughout the long trip” she said.

Officers evacuated Metromini was hit by a series of electric train at a crossing line near Angke Station, Jakarta, Sunday (November 6, 2015). (ANTARA/Rivan Awal Lingga)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – The commuter train-Metromini bus collision at North Jakartas Muara Angke railway crossing that killed 17 people, Sunday, prompted authorities to take steps to put in order the operations of public vehicles in the capital city. Though not all, yet on an average, drivers of Jakartas public transportation vehicles — such as “angkot” and “mikrolet” (both minivans), buses, including Metromini buses — are notorious for their recklessness.

Luckily, apart from trains, Jakartas residents can still avail relatively convenient public transportation services in the form of taxis and the TransJakarta Busway transportation services. However, passengers have to pay relatively higher fares for these services.

Traffic accidents in the capital city, particularly at railway crossings, have repeatedly occurred, and Sundays accident was not the first of its kind. However, the Muara Angke collision involving an electric commuter train and a Metromini bus appears to have raised awareness among the authorities to streamline the operations of public vehicles in order to protect the safety of passengers and ensure their convenience.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has promptly ordered his minister to take the necessary steps to prevent the recurrence of accidents involving means of public transportation at railway crossings. Jokowi ordered the transportation minister and Jakarta governor to prevent mishaps at railway crossings to avert incidents such as the Sunday accident at the Muara Agnke railway crossing that killed 17 people.

“The president has ordered us to coordinate with the Jakarta governor. We actually have begun the coordination process since yesterday,” Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan stated at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday. Jonan said he will continue to coordinate with the Jakarta governor on efforts to improve discipline among operators of public vehicles, including the conductors and drivers of Metromini buses. “We will also discuss how to ensure better management of one-way railroad crossings,” he affirmed.

Six Killed in Cipali Toll Road Accident

SUNDAY, 06 DECEMBER, 2015

TEMPO.CO, Subang – The Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll road in West Java once again claimed lives on Sunday morning, adding to a long list of deadly accidents in the country’s longest highway.

On Sunday morning (6/12), six people died and five people were severely injured at around 4 am near kilometer 128 marker after a Daihatsu Luxio with the plate number of D 1277 ZJ ollided with truck coming from the opposite direction. The car, which reportedly carried 11 people, reportedly moved in a high velocity and hit the truck.

The dead victims include six men and one woman.

Their bodies have been taken to Ciereng hospital in Subang, West Java and most of them suffered from severe injuries in the head. Four of the six victims were identified as Muhammad Nasir, Pendi, Heri Suheri, and Enco Carsa, all of whom were from Majalengka, West Java. Meanwhile, four injured victims have been taken to Siloam hospital in Bungursari, Purwakarta, West Java.

“We received the bodies at around 6 am,” said member of the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team of the Subang Police Brigadier Ivan Taufik at the ICU room of Ciereng hospital.

For the record, the deadly accident happened only three days after another deadly accident that involved an Isuzu Elf minibus carrying 19 people. The accident took place at 4:30 a.m. near the 137 kilometer and claimed eleven lives.

5th December 2015Pakistanis find it easier to pay off policemen than to pay the fine — this is a functional “licence” to violate laws. —Photo courtesy of PakWheels

Accidents caused by traffic violations have been one of the greatest concerns for developing countries. Unfortunately, Pakistan is ranked at number three in terms of number of fatal traffic accidents in South Asia.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, thousands lose their lives in traffic accidents annually. Whereas those who suffer injuries are far more in numbers.

Number one on the list is Afghanistan, at number two is India, that has a huge population in comparison to Pakistan. However, surprisingly, traffic accidents in Bangladesh are far lesser.

To avoid accidents caused by over-speeding and breaking signals, following traffic laws is of utmost importance.

School bus driver charged with vehicular homicide after deadly crash

HALL COUNTY, GA (CBS46) –A school bus driver has been charged with second degree vehicular homicide after police say she pulled into the path of a vehicle, killing the driver.

Police said the school bus driver, Vanessa Clark, pulled into the path of a 2000 Mitsubishi Galant, driven by 52-year-old Sabrina Tench, who was killed. The accident occurred around 3 p.m. Tuesday at Cleveland Highway and Whitmire Circle, which is about 65 miles northeast of Atlanta in Hall County.

A spokesperson with Hall County Schools said there were 31 students on School Bus #2204 when it crashed. The students are from nearby Wauka Mountain Elementary School.

Six of the students were taken to the hospital with what officials described as minor injuries. Clark was also charged with failure to yield after a stop sign.

1st december 2015 Footage has emerged showing a 24-year-old driver texting while hanging out of the window of his wrecked Lamborghini just moments after he allegedly mowed down three people – killing one.

Wiyang Lautner was detained after he allegedly lost control of his supercar while racing against a Ferrari and hit a middle-aged couple and a street vendor waiter in Surabaya, East Java.

Footage has emerged showing a 24-year-old driver texting while hanging out of the window of his wrecked Lamborghini just moments after he allegedly mowed down three people

He crashed into Mujianto, 44, Srikanti, 41, and her husband 51-year-old Kuswanto whose body was dragged along by the Lamborghini for several metres before it smashed into a tree, police said.

Onlookers filmed the aftermath of the fatal crash and footage shows the 24-year-old driver texting and speaking on his mobile as he attempted to climb out of the wrecked car. It is not yet known whether he was using his mobile to ask for help.

Srikanti and Mujianto, who both suffered broken legs in the crash, could be seen lying seriously injured in the street as Lautner used his phone. Kuswanto and his wife Srikanti, who were from nearby village Kaliasin, were on the side of the road buying some bottles of milk from a street vendor when they were allegedly hit by the supercar.

The waiter at the street vendor, Mujianto, was also injured in the crash.

Onlookers filmed the aftermath of the fatal crash and one of the victims was seen being carried by paramedics

Lily Djafar, a spokesperson at the Surabaya police station, also said a motorcycle, which was parked near the vendor, was heavily damaged in the crash,’ according toKompas.com. Kuswantoro’s body was taken to Soetomo Hospital for a post-mortem. Police detained Lautner at Dukuh Kupang police station and launched a further investigation into the crash.

Sales rep who killed a university student when he ploughed into her at 101mph after racing his car ‘like a scene from The Fast and The Furious’ is jailed for eight years

Sukvinder Mannan was jailed for eight years after killing Rebecca McManus when the car he was racing smashed into a bus stop she was waiting at

A sales rep who killed a university student when he ploughed into her at 101mph after racing his car ‘like a scene from The Fast and The Furious’ has been jailed for eight years.

Tragic Rebecca McManus, 21, died after she was hit by the out-of-control high-powered Mitsubishi at a bus stop on Hagley Road in Quinton, near Birmingham city centre.

She was pronounced dead at the scene while her friend Harriet Barnsley, 21, was seriously injured in the horror smash on May 31 last year. The girls were waiting for a bus to take them into Birmingham for a hen party when they were hit by the red Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution which was driven by Sukvinder Mannan.

Mannan, 33, from Halesowen, West Midlands, admitted causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court in February. He also pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to provide a blood sample following the crash.

On Tuesday Mannan was jailed for eight years at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Inderjit Singh, 31, was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving after a trial last week.

But Singh, of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, had previously admitted dangerous driving and was jailed for one year at the same court yesterday. During his trial, the court heard Mannan and Singh, who was driving a black BMW M3 sports car, used the road as their ‘private race track’.

Flowers were laid at the scene of the horrific accident. Rebecca’s friend, Harriet Barnsley, 21, was seriously injured in the smash on May 31 last year. Prosecutor Hugh O’Brien-Quinn said: ‘They raced each other over a significant distance overtaking and undertaking at speeds of up to 100mph along the A4123 Birmingham New Road often travelling inches apart from each other.

‘The black M3 was dictating the pace and by the time they had reached Hagley Road West he pulled further ahead. ‘The defendant (Singh) and another man (Mannan) had decided to use the road as their own private race track on which to show off how fast they could drive in their powerful cars.’

One eyewitness old the court she was a passenger in a friend’s Ford Focus when the two powerful cars sped past them. Giving evidence, Lindsey Grant said: ‘The two cars went past us at extreme speed. ‘Around 90mph maybe faster. Our car shook and my friend grabbed my arm in shock. They were weaving and fish tailing.

‘I can only describe it as being like a scene out of the racing film The Fast and The Furious.’ Tragically, Rebecca had just finished a three-year English Literature and Creative Writing degree at the University of East Anglia and was due to graduate a month after the crash. She hadn’t received all her grades but had already received a first class mark in her poetry dissertation and had seen some of her work published.

Paying tribute to their daughter, her devastated mother Catherine McManus, 48, who lives with her husband Gerard, 51, in Oldbury, West Midlands, said: ‘She did not have a bad bone in her body. ‘Everybody loved her and the last three years at university had been the best of her life. ‘She was very popular and had kept in touch with everybody from her school days.

Inderjit Singh, 31, was jailed for one year at the same court for his part in the smash

‘You always worry about your children – but for me it was always about them returning home, rather than on their way to a night out.’

Her former tutors also paid tribute to the keen poet who was well known for writing in her trademark red beret.

Professor Peter Womack, head of the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, said: ‘Rebecca was an exploring, adventurous poet, and an active and popular member of the creative writing group. ‘She was a truly lovely young woman, serious but humorous, thoughtful but quirky, committed to writing and thinking but able to have a giggle. ‘Her death is an irreplaceable loss, and she will be much missed by those who studied with her and by those who taught her.’

Mannan ‘played cat and mouse’ with Singh as they raced before ploughing into tragic Rebecca, the judge said. Sentencing Mannan, who works as a car garage manager, Judge Kristin Montgomery said: ‘You drove with arrogant disregard and contempt for other road users and the indications, by your own admissions, is that you had been drinking alcohol.

‘For around a mile you played cat and mouse driving at grossly excessive speeds and both of you were consumed by your competition. ‘It was almost inevitable one of you would lose control and have a collision.’

The court heard Mannan, who showed no emotion as he was sentenced, was ‘aggressive and vociferous’ towards the emergency services at the scene. He claimed he had only had two beers but later refused to give a blood sample. Turning to a tearful Singh, who works as a computer engineer, Judge Montgomery added: ‘I sentence you for the way you drove up to the point that you withdrew from the race, a decision you took split seconds before Mannan crashed.

‘You encouraged Mannan to speed and your efforts to prevail in the race were unrestrained by any thought.’ The court also heard victim impact statements from the families of Rebecca and her friend Harriet Barnsley who was left with ‘life-changing’ injuries.Rebecca’s mother Catherine said she struggled to work or sleep and that another daughter Anna had been forced to curtail her university studies.

Rebecca’s father, Gerard, said: ‘We will grieve for Rebecca for the rest of our lives’

She added: ‘Rebecca’s death has left a huge void that can never be filled.

‘We’ve been robbed of the chance to see her graduate and have a career in literature, settle down and have children.

‘We have been instead condemned to a life time of pain and suffering.

‘It is still incomprehensible that I will never be able to speak to or see my precious daughter again.’

The court heard Mannan had previous convictions for driving without owner’s consent, having no insurance or licence and drink-driving. He also failed a drink-drive test after the crash and smelled of alcohol but later refused to take a second test. As well as the jail terms, Mannan was banned from driving for 10 years and Singh was disqualified for three years.

Highway Patrol says 14 killed in Thanksgiving accidents

Nov 30, 2015

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – The N.C. Highway Patrol says 14 people were killed in traffic accidents across the state during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The holiday period officially began at 6 p.m., Wednesday and ended at midnight Sunday.

Accidents in which two people were killed were reported in Davidson and Stokes counties. Two people were killed in separate accidents in Cumberland County.

Last year, 21 people were killed in traffic accidents in North Carolina during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Economic health and traffic accidents: yes, there’s a connection

The economy is bouncing back in California and that is … bad for drivers? Conversely, notes an official with the state’s Office of Traffic Safety, “Every time there’s been a recession in California, there’s been a decline in roadway fatalities.”

Relevant statistics certainly seem to be bear out the asserted nexus between economic barometers and motor vehicle accident numbers.To wit: A recent article discussing California vehicle accident statistics and trends states that 2005 was “the height of the boom/bubble” that existed just before the arrival of the so-called Great Recession. Vehicle-related fatalities in the state numbered 4,329 that year. Five years later, in 2010, the economy in California and nationally bottomed out. The reported vehicle accident death toll in California that year was 2,715.

In troubling fashion (though predictable, say some commentators), the economy’s resurgence in recent years has brought a corresponding uptick in fatality numbers. Although the 3,074 traffic-related deaths that occurred in the state last year pale in comparison with the 2005 figure, they spell a consecutive-year rise in the death toll that dates back to 2010.

In other words, traffic deaths are jumping every year in California, in lock step with improved economic performance.

With more money in their pockets, more Californians are of course buying cars and spending more time on state roads commuting to and from work, going shopping and taking vacations. The increased number of vehicles logically ups the odds for roadway accidents.

And, to be sure, safety officials aren’t discounting the accident-causing role played by distracted mobile devices. One estimate posits that such devices — centrally smartphones — are a catalyst in up to 20 percent of all crashes.

Accidents, fatalities, mount on Kansas and Missouri highways

Nov 29 2015 By Dave Eckert, Assignment Editor

Road block at U.S. 69 and 399th Street in Miami County following fatal accident that killed one and sent seven to the hospital

There has been a rash of fatal vehicle accidents on both sides of the state line, and almost are are related to the freezing rain and icy road conditions we’ve seen since Friday.

The latest fatal crash happened Saturday afternoon in Southern Miami County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a van carrying nearly a full passenger load lost control and flipped over over on U.S. 69 near 399th Street. One person was killed and seven others sent to the hospital.

That accident was among dozens and dozens throughout the metro. In Kansas City alone, police say they responded to more than 100 accidents between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.. “It’s been one accident after another,” KC Scout’s Percy Houston said. Houston works alongside the team that monitors road conditions on the Missouri side. “Our job is to patrol the highways and keep the flow of traffic going. We work a lot of accidents out there and do traffic control.,” Houston shared.

Emergency workers are urging everyone to use caution, both on the roads and at home.Local hardware stories are there to advise which supplies to keep in stock as freezing temperatures continue through Sunday. “Watch the weather. See what’s going to happen tomorrow. Buy your ice melt and spread it before. That way, you’re not putting it on something that’s already frozen,” Nick Meyer of Ace Hardware stated. Meyer recommends keeping the basics on hand-salt, sand, blankets, and warm clothes in your vehicle, especially when the rain turns to ice and snow. “Keep a small shovel in case you’re snowed in,” Meyer suggested.

Back on the highways, the wreck in Miami County shut down 69 highway in both directions for several miles over several hours. Highway workers in Kansas and Missouri are doing their best to take care of the roads. They say drivers need to help them out by slowing down and paying attention.

“A lot of people are driving too fast. They need to slow down and watch out for highway workers and drivers,” KC Scout’s Houston stated. As usual, the same advice is being offered as you drive in temperatures hovering right around freezing-be especially careful on bridges and overpasses as they often ice over first as temperatures begin to drop.

KCTV5 meteorologist Jesse Hawila also reminds everyone that the Freezing Rain Advisory continues for the metro through 6 a.m. Sunday.

Saudi- Pilgrim killed 17 injured in road accident

29th November 2015

(MENAFN – Arab News) MAKKAH: An Umrah pilgrim was killed and 17 others one of them critically were injured when their bus hit a truck on the Madinah-Makkah highway early Friday morning.
The bus carrying 40 pilgrims from Eastern Province rammed the truck from behind Col. Talaat Mansouri Makkah traffic director was quoted as saying by local media on Saturday.
Abdulaziz Badoman spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent in Makkah sad the operations room received information about the accident at 3.75 a.m. from a citizen. He said the accident happened on the highway toward Makkah after Kubri Bryman and opposite Hijaj Center.
Of the injured 15 were taken to the Al-Noor Specialist Hospital and Al-Zahra and Haram General Hospital in Makkah. The air unit transported two others one of them in critical condition to the Al-Noor Hospital.

Deputy PM asks for stronger effort to ensure traffic safety

NOVEMBER 28, 2015 BY DANGCONGSAN

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Transport to pay due attention to researching and rolling out measures to ensure traffic safety, and improving the quality of transport infrastructure facilities.

NA chair elected National Election Council chief Nguyen Hanh Phuc named National Assembly Secretary General Speaking at the third Vietnam Traffic Safety Conference in Hanoi on November 26th, the Deputy PM agreed with the national master plan on applying information technology to ensure traffic order and safety.

He spoke highly of measures put forward by scientists aiming to curb traffic accidents, saying that scientific and technological solutions play an important role in supporting State management in the field. He also showed concern about complicated developments in traffic safety and order, and problems such as quality of infrastructure, State management, traffic violation instructions and settlements, and low awareness of traffic safety, which are said to be the main causes of traffic accidents.

During the conference, participants discussed and analysed scientific research outcomes and shared experiences in ensuring traffic safety, as well as application possibilities , thus contributing to building the State’s management policies and promoting technological application to ensure traffic safety in Vietnam.

The National Committee for Traffic Safety said the country has witnessed remarkable decreases in the number of traffic accidents, traffic facilities and injuries from 2012 to 2014. In 2015, the number of traffic accidents, and injuries and deaths from traffic accidents dropped 51 percent, 60 percent and 24 percent, respectively, compared with four years earlier.

Attendees concurred that it is necessary to control drink-driving, as nearly 60 percent of traffic accidents were caused by alcohol consumption. They also agreed on the plan to expand camera systems on key highways and national roads./.

Traffic Accidents Kill over 600 in Cuba this Year

2015-11-23

Traffic accidents continued to claim lives in Cuba with a total of 615 by the end of October, an average of eight fatal victims in every 10 accidents, according to the Cuban Interior Ministry.

The accidents occurred this year resulted in 6 thousand 755 injured plus the deaths, which has had strong impact in society, said the secretary of the National Road Security Commission, Oscar del Toro, who noted that as an average two persons die in traffic accidents daily, while 22 are injured in such events.

The violation of the rights on the road, distractions, excessive speed and other actions are major causes for the accidents.

The National Road Security Commission is currently implementing measures to counter the problems, including more rigorous technical inspection of vehicles.

A recent World Health Organization report says that half the mortal victims of traffic accidents are pedestrians, motorists and cyclists, and that this is the major cause of death in ages between 15 and 29.

Driver and passenger in miracle escape after car hit TWICE on motorway

22 NOV 2015

Police say the occupants of the Renault Clio managed to get out after being struck the first time by an Audi – only for a BMW to smash into it seconds later

A driver and at least one passenger miraculously escaped without serious injury aftertheir car was hit twice within a matter of minutes in a motorway crash. Police say the occupants of the Renault Clio managed to get out after being struck the first time by an Audi.

Just as they made their way to safety, their Clio was struck for a second time by a BMW, the impact taking it around 100 metres down the carriageway before it finally came to a standstill.

North Yorkshire traffic cop Paul Cording tweeted a picture of the wreckage of the Clio, but assured his followers that the unnamed driver and passenger were safe. He wrote: “Miraculously no serious injuries from A1M RTC. Wonder why we say get out of your car to place of safety? The initial RTC left this car stranded in lane 3 of the motorway. Fortunately the occupants got out before it was hit by another car.”

The Audi collided with the rear of the Clio, which rolled and then came to rest in the middle of a lane. The Clio driver, believed to be a young woman, and her passenger then got out before a BMW collided with their car shortly after they got free.

Five officer cadets and midshipmen from the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) have been seriously injured in a bus accident near Goulburn in southern New South Wales, the Defence Department says.

Key points

Five ADFA cadets seriously injured in bus accident near Goulburn

30 injured in total; one person’s injuries “very serious”

Bus rolled over near Windellama shortly after 10:00am

The bus rolled over on Sandy Point Road near Windellama shortly after 10:00am. The Defence Department said 30 people were injured, adding that one person suffered very serious injuries and four had serious injuries.

“The bus was carrying 50 people, returning to ADFA from a military training exercise,” a statement said. “Injured personnel have been transported by air and road to civilian and military hospitals in the region.” Earlier, Fire and Rescue NSW said three people had been flown to Canberra and Sydney hospitals, with nine others taken to Goulburn, Queanbeyan and Canberra hospitals by road.

“Defence is in the process of notifying the families of members involved in the accident and will be providing support and assistance,” the statement said.

Emergency services managed to free a person who was earlier trapped in the bus.

Chief Inspector Evan Quarmby said the remote location of the accident made a swift response difficult.

“We were hindered by a lack of communication, we certainly responded to it both the Rural Fire Service, the NSW Fire Brigade, the ambulance and the police, and all the other parties here today responded very well,” he said. “It was obviously a major incident and a major scene to try to manage.” The bus driver was taken to hospital for mandatory testing.

Traffic accidents kill about 1.25 million people each year around the world, participants at a forum on road safety warned Wednesday, calling on countries to work to reduce the alarming figure.

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Margaret Chan conveyed a message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, saying that “reducing traffic deaths is one of the Sustainable Development Goals and an obligation for the world.”

Some 90 percent of all traffic fatalities occur in developing countries, Chan said, adding that at least another 30 million people are injured in road accidents.

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years. Almost half of all road traffic deaths are “vulnerable road users” — pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, a recent WHO report said.

Some 1,500 delegates from more than 100 countries, including health, transport and interior ministers, have gathered in Brasilia to find solutions to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2020.

On the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims that falls on Nov. 15, Ban called on governments “to tighten enforcement of laws on speeding, drinking and driving, and to mandate and enforce the use of seatbelts, motorcycle helmets and child restraints — all of which have been shown to save lives.”

According to Chan, each year 500 billion U.S. dollars is spent worldwide on treating traffic accident victims, a substantial amount that could be better spent.

More people hospitalised after accidents on Dutch roads Society

November 18, 2015

The number of people seriously injured in traffic accidents rose again in 2014, continuing the increase seen in most years since 2007.

Figures from the transport ministry show that 20,700 people were hospitalised following traffic accidents in 2014, compared with 18,800 in the year earlier period. Only the years 2012 and 2013 showed a slight decrease in the number of serious injuries, for which the ministry has no explanation.

The ministry is collecting more data about traffic accidents in order to improve the situation. Transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen had aimed to reach a maximum of 10,600 series injuries on the roads by 2020, but she said in June that this target will not be achieved. The ministry does expect the number of deaths on the roads to continue to fall, from a maximum of 510 in 2020 to 470 in 2030.

Immediate assistance urged for kin of OFWs killed in Saudi accident

SENATOR Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged Wednesday the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to ensure swift assistance to the families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who reportedly died in an accident in Saudi Arabia.

Initial reports said at least 14 Filipino migrant workers were killed in Al-Asha province in Eastern Saudi Arabia when a delivery truck rammed the coaster they were riding in on the way to their barracks.

Citing reports from the embassy in Riyadh, Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the Filipinos were working for Saudi Arabia Kentzm, a contracting and engineering company.

“The DFA should immediately accomplish all the requirements so the remains of those who were killed can be repatriated as soon as possible. Likewise, the OWWA should ensure the speedy release of all assistance for the family of the deceased OFWs and for those who were injured,” Marcos said.

“It is in this time of distress of the families of the killed OFWs when they need most to feel the government really cares for them,” he added. Marcos cited that the family of a deceased OWWA member is entitled to receive P220,000 in total financial assistance if an accident is the cause of death.

He said that survivors of a deceased OFW are also entitled to educational assistance amounting to P5,000 for elementary, P8,000 for high school, and P10,000 for college per school year, while surviving spouse will be given livelihood assistance worth P15,000.

Marcos said the government should adopt an “aggressive” job generation program so Filipinos will no longer have to leave the country just to find a job to support the needs of their families.

11 dead, 2 injured in two traffic accidents across Turkey

17th Nov 2015

Seven people died and one was injured in a traffic accident in Ağrı on Monday. (Photo: DHA)

Eleven people died and two were injured in two separate traffic accidents near Doğubayazıt and Fethiye late on Sunday and early on Monday.Three people — all from the same family — died near Fethiye at around 8 p.m. on Sunday. According to the Doğan news agency’s report on Monday, the accident took place when a vehicle driven by 48-year-old Hüdai Karal and carrying four members of his family fell down a 600-meter cliff outside the coastal town of Ölüdeniz. While driver Karal, his wife, Gönül Karal, and daughter, Azra Karal, lost their lives, sons Mert Karal and Hüdaican Karal survived the accident with injuries. Twelve-year-old Mert and 13-year-old Hüdaican managed to jump out of the vehicle — the doors of which opened during the accident — and held onto tree branches.

The Turkish Search and Rescue Association (AKUT), the Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) and fire teams were dispatched to the area. The two brothers were rescued and taken to Fethiye State Hospital for treatment. Crime scene investigation teams from the Fethiye Gendarmerie Command is investigating the accident.

In another accident that took place near Doğubayazıt, eight people died at around 5 a.m. on Monday. The accident happened when a light commercial vehicle and a bus collided on the Turkey-Iran transit road.The bus driver and passengers fled the scene immediately after the incident.An investigation has been launched into the accident to find the Iranian driver who fled the scene and identify those who lost their lives.

UK: Is Friday the 13th REALLY an unlucky day for motorists? We crunch the numbers

13 NOV 2015 BY ROB GRANT Mirror Group

The date is traditionally a day when bad luck is more commonplace but how does that translate in terms of road accidents?

Subscribe

Friday fright: But do the figures show the 13th is more unlucky for motorists?

You really ARE more likely to be injured or killed in a car accident onFriday the 13th– but only just.

Official figures show that there have been an average of 522 road accidents where people have been injured or killed around the country every Friday the 13th from 2005 to 2014.

There were 17 of the supposedly unlucky days in that 10-year period. For every other Friday – in other words every Friday except the 13th – there were an average of 516 accidents reported by police forces.

This means that there were 1.1% more accidents on Friday 13th compared to other Fridays in the last 10 years.

The worst individual Friday the 13ths for car accidents were July 13, 2007 and November 13, 2009, when there were 692 accidents where people were hurt or killed. The most recent – June 13, 2014 – had 502 accidents, making it slightly safer than average.

Lewis Hamilton: ‘Heavy partying’ after F1 title led to car crash

By Ian ParkesFriday, November 13th 2015, 08:25 GMT

Lewis Hamilton has conceded his car crash in Monaco was as a result of “heavy partying”, but insists he was never going to miss Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Via a message on Instagram on Wednesday Hamilton admitted to “very light contact with a stationary vehicle” in his shunt in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Monaco in his Pagani Zonda supercar.

In a statement, Monaco’s Palais de Justice has since confirmed the accident occurred as Hamilton’s “foot slipped on the brake and clutch pedals and his vehicle struck three parked cars”. The statement also confirmed Hamilton “was tested for alcohol but the result was negative”.

The incident resulted in the 30-year-old missing a sponsor’s event in Brazil on Wednesday, and he described it as a result of the lifestyle he had led since clinching a third F1 title in the United States last month.

Speaking to British newspapers, Hamilton revealed: “It [the crash] was a result of heavy partying and not much rest for a week and a half.

“I don’t feel as bad as I look, but I honestly feel a lot better. I am a bit run down. I have been non-stop and trying to fit training in at the same time and not getting a lot of sleep.’The last two days I have slept pretty much all day. I couldn’t believe how much I slept.

“I slept on the flight here. I usually sleep four or five hours but when you are training you need more than that.”I am generally a really energetic person, but that week after Mexico and the party we drank a lot and I was really feeling it.”

Hamilton, who is also an FIA Action for Road Safety ambassador, underlined that the possibility of not racing this weekend at Interlagos had never crossed his mind.

Ross Ralph, 35, was chatting on his phone when he crashed his Stagecoach bus into a low railway bridge, with a passenger on the top deck

cascadenews.co.uk

Ripped off: The crash tore the roof from £47,000 Stagecoach bus

A bus driver was chatting on his mobile phone when he crashed into a low bridge, ripping the roof off his double decker. Ross Ralph, 35, was caught on CCTV talking on his phone for 12 seconds as the Stagecoach bus ploughed into a railway bridge parapet. Passenger Jordan McBain, who was on the upper deck, had a lucky escape as the roof crumpled above him.

The £47,000 vehicle was written off in the smash, which happened on April 4 this year.Inverness Sheriff Court heard yesterday that Ralph was sacked by the bus company after the incident. But he kept his licence after he admitted driving carelessly while talking on a mobile phone, causing the bus to collide with the bridge and the roof to collapse.

cascadenews.co.uk

Low bridge: The railway bridge parapet

Fiscal depute Laura Ryan told the court the bridge on Culloden Road, near Balloch, Inverness-shire, had a height restriction of 11ft 3in and the bus was 13ft high. She said: “A passenger was upstairs on the bus as it approached the bridge and was surprised because it was normally a single decker on that route.

“CCTV on the bus filmed Ross Ralph with headphones on and talking on his mobile phone for 12 seconds beforehand and he only reacted after the collision. “He was obviously distracted by being on his mobile phone at the time. Fortunately, no one was injured. There were stickers on the bus reminding the driver of the height of the vehicle. The cost of replacing the bus was £47,000.”

John MacColl, defending, told the court the incident had resulted in his client’s dismissal by Stagecoach but he had secured other employment as a driver. The lawyer added: “He had been working that day doing the Cromarty route on the double decker bus before taking over the Croy route.

“No one at Stagecoach told him to change vehicle. Normally he would have been driving a single decker on that route and in his own mind, he was.”At the time, Jordan, 24, of Croy, said: “We were getting closer and I realised we weren’t going to make it. At the last minute I ducked down and heard this massive bang. “The adrenaline was pumping and it is only in the aftermath that I realised how dangerous it was.”

4 killed, 14 hurt in crash near Washington

9th November 2015 Police Say 4 Dead, Others Hurt In MD Crash

HYATTSVILLE, Md. (AP) — A church van carrying adults and children through a suburb of the nation’s capital collided with a pickup truck that crossed into its path, and the pickup truck burst into flames in an accident that claimed four lives and left 14 others badly injured, authorities said.

A child was among the dead Sunday, and authorities said the conditions of survivors ranged from fair to critical in the Maryland community of Hyattsville just northeast of Washington, D.C.

The crash occurred on a busy, four-lane road with a double-yellow line and no dividing barriers, in front of a two-story brick house with three cars parked in front. Charred debris was strewn on the sidewalk, along the curb and in the small front yard of the house, less than 20 feet from the front door. A man who answered the door at the home declined to comment Monday morning.Five children were being treated at Children’s National Medical Center, and spokeswoman Emily Hartman said Monday morning that three were in fair condition and two were in critical condition. Eight adults were taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, but a spokeswoman said their conditions were not available.Witnesses say people ran with fire extinguishers from their homes but could do little to put out tall flames that rose above the pickup truck before firefighters arrived and put out the blaze. Authorities said the fire was kept to the pickup truck, whose driver died along with two adults and a child in the van.Fire department spokesman Mark Brady in Maryland’s Prince George’s County called the crash scene and the numbers of victims, including children, one of the worst in his 40-year career. He said firefighters were among those debriefed by counselors afterward because of the magnitude of the crash — “so many people, so many injuries and fatalities.”

A police spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment Sunday evening but authorities said police investigators would be reconstructing the accident.Donald Huff, who lives on the Hyattsville street where the accident took place, said the tranquility of a Sunday afternoon was shattered around 5 p.m. that day. He said he heard “a loud boom, just like a bomb,” and then saw the flames.”The fire just got bigger and bigger,” he told The Associated Press by phone.He said a couple of people ran out on the street with kitchen fire extinguishers “to try to get as close as they could, but it was a little too much.”He said that the fire department arrived and brought the fire under control, and he could see emergency crews pulling bodies from the van afterward. White smoke billowed from the scene afterward.

UK: Petition calling for new speed camera in St Helen’s Road after spate of high-speed crashes

RACING: The scene of the crash which left a 12-year-old with life-changing injuries in 2013

SCORES of residents living in one of Bolton’s worst accident blackspots have signed a petition calling for urgent action to be taken to stop ‘lives being put at risk.’Local politicians have launched the petition with residents of St Helens Road after a raft of recent traffic accidents and are asking for a new speed camera to be installed.
Last month a 63-year-old woman had to be cut out from her car after being smashed into by a driver who fled the scene.

Just weeks earlier, 48-year-old motorcyclist Billy Hayes was killed after a crash on the same stretch of road.Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi has previously called for a stronger police presence in the area to stop drivers from speeding and now working with Hulton Councillor Shafaqat Shaikh — who lives in the area— and perspective Labour candidate for the ward, Darren Whitehead, she is asking for the police and the council to listen to the community’s concerns.The petition, which has already been signed by 150 residents, is calling for a new speed camera to be placed at the pedestrian crossing on St Helen’s Road, near to the junction with Smethurst Lane — pointing in a North-Easterly direction.

Sudden lane changes causes most fatal Dubai car crashes

4th Nov 2015

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Drivers switching lanes without warning was the single biggest cause of fatal traffic accidents in Dubai so far this year, according to Dubai Police.

Twenty-four of the 122 fatalities on the emirate’s roads were the result of people suddenly swerving into a different lane without indicating or checking their mirrors, 7Days reported on Wednesday.

Such careless driving is a “deadly traffic offence”, Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of the Traffic Department at Dubai Police, was quoted as saying. He said: “Sudden swerving is still the main reason behind deaths on roads despite our campaigns to educate motorists to use indicators and not change lanes until it’s safe.

“Sudden swerving caused 461 major accidents in 2015 [in addition to the 24 deaths] and we hope the number won’t be more in the coming months.” The newspaper also reported that drink driving has accounted for 430 crashes and seven deaths this year, and speeding has caused 54 accidents and seven deaths.

Last year, 177 people died on Dubai’s roads – 45 of them from swerving into another lane without warning. In total, there have been 2,258 major accidents on Dubai roads compared to 2,588 during 2014. A total of 4,242 vehicles have been involved in crashes in 2015 and 1,587 people have been injured, compared to 2,495 people in 2014.

But the emirate wants to cut traffic accident-related deaths to zero by 2020. Al Mazroui said: “This year the numbers are showing a reduction in deaths on our roads. We will carry out our strategy to reduce the number of deaths on the roads with more campaigns and patrols to get to our target – which is zero deaths.”

Bus accident in northern Nepal kills 33, 35 injured.

Kathmandu, November 3

At least 33 people were killed when a passenger bus in northern Nepal veered off and rolled down a hilly road today, police said.The accident happened at Ramche village in Rasuwa district, 150 km north of Kathmandu near Nepal’s border with Tibet.Those killed include an infant and 12 women, police said.

About 30 passengers, who were injured in the accident have been admitted to Dhunche Hospital for treatment.The accident occurred as the driver lost control and the bus rolled down the hill.Nepal Army personnel, police and local people were involved in rescue operation after the crash.

It has been learned that there were 70 persons on board the ill-fated bus when the incident occurred. The identities of the deceased are yet to be established.

35 injured were rescued and sent to Trishuli of Nuwakot for treatment. Among the victims who lost their life were 12 males and 18 females. The ill-fated passenger bus, which was overcrowded with many passengers travelling on the rooftop, was heading to Kathmandu from Rasuwa when it veered off the road and plunged more than 100 metres down, killing most of the victims on the spot.

Ireland: Insurers hail Garda success in crackdown on fake claims

03/11/2015

One man was jailed and six others received suspended prison sentences for staging fake road traffic accidents to lodge fraudulent personal injury claims

One man was jailed and six others received suspended prison sentences for staging fake road traffic accidents to lodge fraudulent personal injury claims. They admitted a variety of fraud and deception offences following a major Garda investigation, called Operation Nascar, into suspicious traffic accidents nationwide.

Nascar was launched in 2011 and, in two of the four accidents mentioned before Cork Circuit Criminal Court, detectives had specific intelligence about the likelihood of accidents being staged. The accidents, in Cork city, Leamlara, Youghal and Mitchelstown, were staged in 2011 and 2012. They resulted in total claims of more than €164,000.

Aviva’s fraud manager, Robert Smyth, welcomed both the convictions and sentences. “In addition to adding €50 to the cost of premiums, staged accidents also take up the time as well as resources of the gardai and other emergency services, diverting them from cases of genuine need,” he said.

7 Killed, 20 Injured in Car-Bus Collision in West Bengal’s Barasat

November 02, 2015

20 injured passengers of the bus which was travelling from Nadia district to the sea side resort of Digha in East Midnapore district.

BARASAT, WEST BENGAL: Seven persons were killed and 20 injured when a tourist bus collided with a car at Kanchrapara on Kalyani Expressway in North 24 Parganas district early today.

While five persons died on the spot, two others succumbed to injuries at Jawaharlal Nehru hospital at Kalyani, Commissioner of Police, Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, Niraj Singh said.

All the seven deceased were occupants of the car and residents of Ranaghat in adjacent Nadia district, he said. The 20 injured were passengers of the bus which was travelling from Nadia district to the sea side resort of Digha in East Midnapore district.

The injured were taken to a local health centre at Kampa where they were treated for minor injuries, he said.

Study: Self-driving cars have higher accident rate

1st Nov 2015

(Photo: Eric Risberg, AP) Even though they haven’t been at fault, self-driving test cars are involved in crashes at five times the rate of conventional cars, a new study finds.

Even when the figures are adjusted to take into account that many accidents involving conventional cars go unreported, the study from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found that the rate is still twice as high.

Yet it notes that it is making the comparison from a tiny pool of autonomous test cars, about 50 of them in California, versus 269 million conventional cars as of 2013. The self-driving cars have logged about 1.2 million miles in total, while the conventionals cumulatively go trillions of miles a year.

As a result, the total number of self-driving car accidents being used for comparison is the study is minuscule, 11. But that’s five times the rate of the accident rate in conventional cars, and there’s four times the injury rate, the study finds. The injuries, however, have all been minor. The researchers, Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak, note the limitations, acknowledging their confidence levels could invalidate the overall finding of higher accident rates for self-driving cars.

In almost every case, the accidents involving self-driving cars have involved other cars crashing into them. They are often traveling at slow speeds. No accidents have been reported from self-driving cars going haywire and a human is always on board in case something goes wrong.

Eight of the 11 crashes occurred last year as more self-driving hit the road in California, where most of the testing is taking place. Despite limitations of the study, “A Preliminary Analysis of Real-World Crashes Involving Self-Driving Vehicles,” it reached some real conclusions. The bottom line: Even though self-driving vehicles were not at fault in any crashes they were involved in and that injuries have of lower severity than for conventional cars, it appears they are getting in more accidents given their numbers.

718 die in traffic accidents monthly in Vietnam for past 10 months

Nearly 7,200 people died from traffic accidents in the ten-month period ending on October 15, down almost 3.9 percent year on year, the National Traffic Safety Committee said on Thursday.

The period, from December 16, 2014 to October 15, 2015, saw 18,437 traffic accidents take place across the country, claiming 7,185 lives and injuring 16,755 people, the committee said.

This means that on average, around 718 people died per month in traffic accidents during the period, or nearly 24 people per day.

In comparison with the same period last year, the numbers of traffic accidents and resulting deaths and injuries were down by 2,364 (or 11.36 percent), 290 (3.88 percent) and 3,218 (16.11 percent), respectively, the committee said.

In the one-month period from September 16 to October 15, 667 people passed away and 1,826 others were wounded in 1,978 traffic accidents nationwide.

Comparing that period alone year on year, the number of accidents dropped by 125, or 5.94 percent, the death count decreased by 50, or 6.97 percent, and injuries fell by 312, or 14.59 percent, the committee said.

Around 9,000 people die from road accidents in Vietnam per year, or almost 25 deaths per day, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang said at a requiem held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 10, 2014 for the dead victims. In addition, hundreds of thousands of others suffer from life-time injuries caused by traffic accidents every year, the minister added.

The event was organized to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which falls on the third Sunday of November each year. Worldwide, road accidents claim about 1.3 million lives every year, and the figure is forecast to soar to up to 1.9 million in the future, the committee said.

21 killed in crashes in Sept

26th October 2105

File Photo – Str / Lehtikuva.

At least 21 persons were killed and 568 others injured in as many as 475 road accidents in September this year, according to Statistics Finland’s preliminary data.

The number of persons killed was two higher and that of persons injured 90 lower than in September 2014, the statistics show. Of the persons who were killed, 12 travelled by passenger car, one by lorry and four by motorcycle. Pedestrians killed in road traffic accidents numbered one and cyclists three. Among those who died, 17 were men and four were women.

A total of 3,772 road traffic accidents happened in the January to September period, killing 192 persons and injuring 4,697 others. The number of persons killed was 27 higher and that of persons injured 303 lower than in the corresponding period of 2014

Thailand: 8 killed, 28 injured in Kanchanaburi road accident

The Nation October 25, 2015

A chartered bus fell from the road at a notorious sharp curve in Kanchanaburi’s Si Sawat district Sunday, killing eight people and injuring 28 others, police said.

Police said the accident happened at 10:30 am at the Khao Tabtao or kilometre markers 59-60 on the main highway in Moo 4 village of Tambon Tha Kradan in Si Sawat district. The curve was notorious for accidents and it is called the 100-bodies curve.

Police and rescuers rushed to the scene and found one body thrown out of the bus and seven more bodies inside. Rescuers took out the 28 injured people of the bus and rushed them to the Tha Kradan hospital. Police said 22 of the survivors were severely injured.

All of the injured were later forwarded to the Phahol Polphayuhasena Hospital. The bus was chartered to take staffs of a firm in Samut Sakhon to join a seminar at a resort in Tambon Tha Tradan and the accident happened when the staffs were returning to Samut Sakhon, police said.

At least 42 people, most of them elderly, have died after a bus and a truck collided and caught fire in southwest France on Friday, in the country’s worst road accident for three decades.

Key points

At least 42 mostly elderly people are killed in a bus collision

It is believed the bus driver lost control driving through a dangerous bend

The crash is the deadliest road accident in France since 1982

The coach, carrying 49 passengers and a driver, departed early Friday from a tiny village of 650 residents near the site of the accident. The coach was carrying a club of elderly people on an excursion when it collided with the truck near the village of Puisseguin among the vineyards of the St Emilion region, east of Bordeaux. Many of the victims were thought to have died in the fire, according to emergency workers and local authorities in the department of Gironde.

Images shown on French television showed the coach as a charred shell that had been entirely burned. “I saw a cloud of smoke,” local resident Yvette Seguy told local media, adding that it took place on a bend that is known to be dangerous. The driver of the coach was thought to be among the dead. The rest of the victims were passengers on the coach, officials said.

Eight people managed to escape — four of them seriously injured, according to a local official. It was not clear if the lorry driver, who was transporting wood, also died. Unconfirmed reports said he had managed to escape his burning vehicle to help the bus passengers.

“The French government has fully mobilised after this terrible tragedy,” president Francois Hollande said from Athens, where he is on an official visit. “We are plunged into sadness due to this drama.”Apparently, the bus slid into a bend … the truck and bus were in flames. We saw smoke from 10 kilometres away.” Some 60 firemen and 20 fire engines were dispatched to the scene on Friday, supported by helicopters. A psychological crisis cell and information hotline were also set up.

The crash is the deadliest in France since 1982, when 53 people, including 44 children were killed in a motorway pile-up. Prime minister Manuel Valls, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve and transport minister Alain Vidalies were also on their way to the site, according to the transport ministry.

It has not been ruled out that Mr Hollande might cut short his visit to Greece.

Crash Survivor Can’t Remember Husband, Son Killed in Accident

byPHIL HELSEL 23rd October 2015

A Florida woman who was injured in a car crash that killed her husband and their 1-year-old child in Altamonte Springs has no memory of the accident — or of her husband and child, it was reported Thursday.

Ivelisse S. Martinez, 27, doesn’t remember her husband, Jose L. Vargas Rosario, or their 1-year-old child who was killed, Brayden, NBC affiliate WESH in Orlando reported. When an Orlando Regional Medical Center chaplain and police investigator told Martinez her husband and father were killed, she didn’t recall them, the station reported.

Aerial shot of last week’s fatal crash on State Road 436 and 434 in Altamonte Springs.WESH-TV

“She does not remember the crash, and at that time did not remember the family members either,” Altamonte Springs police Lt. Rob Pelton said. An expert told the station that temporary memory loss is not uncommon during head trauma.

The deadly Oct. 16 crash occurred after a 75-year-old woman slammed into the back of the family’s Kia, which was stopped at a red light at an intersection, at around 10 a.m., WESH reported. Witnesses told the station the car didn’t try to stop before the impact.

Altamonte Springs police on Thursday identified the other driver as Cynthia Guthrie, but said there are no criminal charges pending, although the crash is still under investigation.

Malta: Sharp drop in traffic fatalities

22nd October 2015

There was one traffic fatality – involving a pedestrian – in the first quarter this year, the National Statistics Office said. That contrasts with six between January and March last year. The NSO said 3,294 traffic accidents were reported, at par with the corresponding quarter last year.

Slight drops were recorded in the south eastern and northern harbour districts. The western district registered the highest percentage increase in traffic accidents (16.3 per cent).

In the period under review, 301 traffic casualties were reported, 189 of which involved drivers. Among this group, there were 167 injuries which were slight and the other 22 were grievous. During this period, seven passengers and 13 pedestrians suffered grievous injuries, while 64 passengers and 27 pedestrians were slightly injured. Furthermore, the injuries suffered by one pedestrian proved fatal.

On a gender basis, slightly-injured persons in the first quarter this year numbered 258: 152 males and 106 females. Grievously-injured persons totalled 42, the majority being males. The single fatality recorded in the period under review involved a male. The majority of casualties were aged 60 and over. A total 77.7 per cent of traffic casualties were caused by passenger cars, followed by motorcycles at 13 per cent. Eight per cent were caused by goods-carrying vehicles.

In the first quarter of 2011, the highest traffic casualty rate occurred on Thursdays, accounting for 20.3 per cent of total casualties. The highest accident rate was recorded on Wednesdays, totalling 555 cases, and the lowest was recorded on Sundays, with 365 cases. Thursdays topped the highest casualty-to-accidents ratio. The daily time bracket in which most accidents occurred was between 9 and 11.59 a.m (21 per cent). This is followed by the 3 – 5.59 p.m. time bracket. The lowest number of accidents occurring daily took place between 3 and 5.59 a.m.

In the first quarter this year, Birkirkara registered the highest rate of traffic accidents, with 222 cases; Qormi and Marsa followed, with 192 and 184 reported accidents, respectively.

Couple’s agony as their daughter dies in hospital NINE YEARS after she suffered horrific injuries as a baby when teenage heir to £130million fortune crashed into their car

20 October 2015

A young girl left paralysed and brain damaged when a 4×4 driven by the 19-year-old son of a multimillionaire smashed into her parents’ car has died nine years after the horror accident.

Cerys Edwards passed away surrounded by her family at Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Saturday night. She had endured dozens of major operations throughout her short life after the 2006 collision left her with catastrophic injuries that meant she required round-the-clock care.

Cerys Edwards (left, before the car crash) passed away surrounded by her family in hospital at Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Saturday night. She had endured dozens of major operations throughout her short life after the collision left her with catastrophic injuries (right) that meant she required round-the-clock care

Cerys was left paralysed, unable to speak, permanently dependent on a ventilator and requiring round-the-clock care after the car she was travelling in with mother Tracey and father Gareth was struck by Antonio Boparan in 2006

Her life was changed forever when Antonio Boparan’s £60,000 Range Rover Sport destroyed the Jeep she was travelling in with mother Tracey and father Gareth when he tried to overtake another vehicle on a residential road.

The 19-year-old – heir to the £130million 2 Sisters Food Group, owned by his parents Ranjit and Baljinder Boparan – was speeding at more than 70mph in a 30mph zone when he ploughed head-on into the family on Sutton Coldfield’s Streetly Lane. He was also driving on the wrong side of the road.

After a near six year legal battle, Cerys was awarded £5million compensation in 2012, along with a guaranteed annual payout of £450,000 to help pay for her annual care bill. The Edwards family – including Cerys and mother Tracey (right) – were on their way home after delivering Christmas presents when the crash happened, just days after the youngster had celebrated her first birthday

Cerys’ devastated father Gareth paid tribute to the bravery of his nine-year-old daughter, whose smile he said ‘would melt the heart of anyone’. However, the builder, from Sutton Coldfield, is now calling for fresh charges to be brought against Boparan – so he can ‘serve a proper sentence’. Mr Edwards said: ‘At the first court case I think the judge said if Cerys died they would be looking at death by dangerous driving in the future.

Antonio Boparan served just six months of a 21-month sentence after being found guilty of dangerous driving – a judgement which provoked local outrage. ‘He only served six months and Cerys has lost her life.

‘She was left on a ventilator after the crash, she caught a virus and that has killed her. She wouldn’t have been in that position if it wasn’t for the crash.

‘He is scum. I will leave it to the police but I would like to see him face new charges. In my mind, that would be only right and proper.’

Speaking of his pride in his young daughter, the grieving father told the Birmingham Mail: ‘Given her injuries, she never complained and was a joy to be with. She was a very happy child who loved life. ‘She was a very happy little girl whose cheeky smile would melt the heart of anyone present.

But instead he served just six months of a 21-month sentence after being found guilty of dangerous driving – a judgement which provoked local outrage. After a near six year legal battle, Cerys was awarded £5million compensation in 2012, along with a guaranteed annual payout of £450,000 to help pay for her annual care bill.

At the conclusion of the insurance wrangle, Judge Martin McKenna, sitting at Birmingham County Court, described the case as ‘the saddest case I’ve come across.’

Earlier this year, Gareth spoke about the impact the crash had on the family. ‘Like any parent you want to see your daughter go to school, to get a job,’ he said. ‘You want to walk her down the aisle and you want her to have her own children. I know that none of those things will ever happen for Cerys. ‘We were told that she would not survive the journey to the hospital after the crash, but she did and she defied the odds. The strength she has shown is incredible.’

Boparan was jailed again earlier this year for his involvement in a Birmingham bar fight, which left one man blind. He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assault in the VIP room of Brindleyplace’s Nuvo Bar last April.He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assault in the VIP room of Brindleyplace’s Nuvo Bar last April. He was jailed for 12 months for his involvement in the fight, in which he threw the victim to the floor and kicked him in the head.

1 dead, 15 injured in road accidents

Amman, Oct 18 (Petra) –– One person died and 15 were injured in accidents that occurred Saturday night in the southern city of Maan and in and near the capital Amman, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

It said CDD rescue crews and medics in Maan handled the aftermath of the crash of a vehicle on the desert highway in which a man was killed and another suffered serious injuries, fractures and bruises all over the body. It said medics administered first aid to the injured person on the spot and transferred him to the Maan Government Hospital.

In Muaggar south of Amman, rescue teams rushed to the scene of a collision between two vehicles that left seven people injured, offering first aid to them before taking them to a nearby hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

Another two-vehicle collision in the Amman neighbourhood of Al Zuhour also resulted in the injury of seven people, who were treated on the scene and transferred to the main Al Bashir Hospital, where they were reported in moderate condition.

15 of marriage party killed 15 injured in Andhra accident

Hyderabad, Oct 17 (IANS) At least 15 people were killed and 15 injured when a mini truck carrying a marriage party collided head-on with a bus in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district on Saturday, police said.

The accident occurred around 6.30 a.m. near Y. Charolapalem village of Valetivaripalem mandal in Prakasam district of south coastal Andhra, 360 km from here.

The mini truck, which was on its way from Kandukuru to Malakonda, rammed into the private bus coming from opposite direction. There were no passengers in the private bus, which caught fire due to the collision. Such was the impact of the collision that both vehicles fell off the road. olice said both the vehicles were apparently moving at a very high speed.

While 14 people died on the spot, one succumbed at Kandukuru Hospital. The dead include three children and five women. The condition of eight of the injured is stated to be critical.

Transport Minister S. Raghava Rao, who rushed to the accident side, announced a compensation of Rs.2 lakh each to the families of those killed. He said the government would bear entire expenses for the treatment of the injured. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the tragic incident. He directed the transport minister to ensure that best medical treatment is provided to the injured.

8,000 Malaysians will die in traffic-related accidents this year

Published on Tuesday, 13 October 2015 15:48

Pic: NSTKUCHING: Approximately 8,000 Malaysians will die in traffic-related accidents this year. From that figure, young Malaysians aged between 16 to 25 will make up one third of the deaths.

The chilling numbers, based on studies done by the Malaysian Institute Of Road Safety Research, will continue to increase if there is no concerted effort to implement effective road safety campaigns or awareness programmes.

Malaysia Road Safety Department Director General Abdul Ghafar Yusof said on average, Malaysia records an average of 6,000 to 7,000 deaths annually, leading to around RM8 billion in losses to the country. “This is an increasing trend. Also, drivers aged between 16 and 25 make up one third of the total number,” he said at the launch of a road safety campaign here, today. Ghafar said if no effort is done to buck the trend, traffic related deaths could reach 10,000 annually by 2020.

He said educational programmes in schools, as well as awareness campaigns, play an important role in educating road users, including children on the importance of road safety.

On Monday, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya had said that Malaysia has a higher than average number of traffic-related deaths compared to other countries. Statistics, he said, had shown that Malaysia had a 23.6 to 100,000 population ratio of traffic-related deaths. The world average is 18 per 100,000 population. Australia, in comparison, has a 4 to 100,000 ratio while the United Kingdom has a 14 per 100,000 ratio.

Correction. UK is 3.5/100,000 population. Ed.

1 killed, 7 injured in accident in fog in UAE

Abu Dhabi Police asks motorists to be careful in foggy conditions

Mohammad El Sadafy Sunday, October 11, 2015

One man was killed and seven others in a road accident in foggy conditions in Abu Dhabi today (Sunday). (Supplied)

An Arab national was killed and seven others injured in a road accident in Abu Dhabi today (Sunday.)

A bus transporting workers and a truck trailer carrying goods collided in fog. According to Colonel Ahmed Zouaydi of the Directorate of Traffic and Patrols at Abu Dhabi Police, investigations into the accident are under way.

Colonel Zouaydi called on motorists, especially foreign road users, on the Abu Dhabi –Dubai, Abu Dhabi- Al Ain and Abu Dhabi -Ghuwaifat roads to abide by the instructions of Abu Dhabi Police and not to drive trucks and other heavy vehicles until the fog has cleared.

He stressed the need to reduce speed and improve attention on the road in foggy conditions because of reduced visibility. He called on drivers to follow the weather bulletin and safety instructions issued by the agencies concerned. He also advised motors to increase the distance between vehicles in foggy conditions to avoid bumping into cars ahead of them. He also urged them to avoid changing lanes in foggy conditions.

U.S. Traffic Accidents Send 2.5 Million to ERs Each Year, CDC Says

11th Oct 2015

(HealthDay News) — Road crash injuries sent more than 2.5 million Americans to emergency rooms in 2012. And, nearly 200,000 were hospitalized due to motor vehicle collisions, a new federal government report says.

That means about 7,000 people went to the emergency department every day because of motor vehicle crash injuries in 2012, according to Ileana Arias, principal deputy director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC).

“Motor vehicle crash injuries occur all too frequently and have health and economic costs for individuals, the health care system, and society. We need to do more to keep people safe and reduce crash injuries and medical costs,” Arias said in an agency news release.

The lifetime medical expenses for those crash injuries totaled $18 billion. That includes $10 billion for those admitted to hospital and $8 billion for patients treated in ERs and released, according to the Oct. 7 Vital Signsreport by the CDC.

Work lost over a lifetime due to crash-related injuries in 2012 cost about $33 billion, the report found. The average lifetime cost of each crash-related ER visit was $3,300, and $57,000 for each hospitalization. More than 75 percent of costs occur during the first 18 months after the injury, according to the report.

Teens and young adults — aged 15 to 29 — have a much higher risk for road crash injuries and accounted for nearly 1 million of such injuries in 2012 (38 percent). On the other end of the age spectrum, people older than 80 had the highest hospitalization rates. One-third of those over 80 injured in crashes ended up hospitalized, the report noted.

There was some good news in the report. There were nearly 400,000 fewer ER visits and 5,700 fewer hospitalizations for crash-related injuries in 2012 than in 2002, according to the report. That translates to about $1.7 billion less in lifetime medical costs and $2.3 billion less in lifetime lost work costs, the report found.

“Motor vehicle crashes and related injuries are preventable,” Gwen Bergen, a behavioral scientist in the division of unintentional injury prevention at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said in the CDC news release.

“Although much has been done to help keep people safe on the road, no state has fully implemented all the interventions proven to increase the use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts; reduce drinking and driving; and improve teen driver safety,” she added.

Maniac Mercedes driver is jailed after he filmed a selfie at 120mph while CHASING a police car

10 October 2015

A Mercedes driver has been jailed after filming a ‘selfie’ at 120mph while chasing a police car.

Princely Imara, 24, started following the vehicle at high speed after he spotted it heading toward an emergency incident, with its sirens blaring, on the A20 in Ashford, Kent, last September.

As he sped down the motorway, Imara ranted about the police force and swerved his black car from side to side, putting pressure on the responding officer and risking other motorists’ lives.

He filmed the entire incident on camera, but the footage was only discovered after he was involved in another chase – this time, along the M2 at 130mph – a month later, which resulted in a crash.

Behind bars: Princely Imara (pictured in his mugshot) filmed a ‘selfie’ at 120mph while chasing a police car

In the later incident, two officers noticed Imara drive past them at high speed. He was driving ‘erratically’, even swerving onto the hard shoulder, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

Imara then re-joined the carriageway on the M2 near Sittingbourne, Kent, behind the officers’ vehicle and overtook them. He was pulled over and spoken to by the cops, the court heard.

Simon Taylor, prosecuting, told the court: ‘The officers got out and spoke to Imara who was aggressive and obstructive. ‘His demeanour raised concerns after he stated he had recently been detained under the Mental Health Act – and he said this while still filming the officers on his mobile phone.’

Giving chase: The 24-year-old started following the police car at high speed after he spotted it heading toward an emergency incident, with its sirens blaring, on the A20 in Ashford, Kent, last September.

Shocking: He filmed the incident on camera, but the footage was only found after he was involved in another chase a month later. Imara’s speedometer shows him traveling at 120mph in the earlier incident

While the officers carried out checks, Imara sped off, reaching a top speed of 130mph. He was finally caught after he crashed into a roadside barrier, causing £2,600 worth of damage. The footage of the earlier incident, where the convicted drug dealer and burglar had launched into a rant about the police, was discovered after his mobile phone was seized and examined.

Now, Imara has been jailed for four and a half years on a variety of charges.Sentencing Imara, Judge Adele Williams told him: ‘This was appalling driving in which you showed no regard for the safety of others – including police officers who were doing no more than their duty.’ The defendant, of Shepway, Kent, was also banned from driving for four years.

He will have to take a re-test before he is allowed to get back behind the wheel of a car.

Four people including a five-year-old girl die when car driven by former Miss Romania smashes into a horse-drawn cart

10 October 2015

Four people including a five-year-old girl were killed when a car driven by a top model crashed into a horse-drawn cart. Former Miss Romania Diana Dinu, 25, smashed into the carriage when it suddenly pulled out into her path. Four people in the cart died while four others are in a critical condition in hospital.

Tragedy: Former Miss Romania Diana Dinu was involved in a crash that killed four people including a five-year-old girl after her car collided with a horse-drawn cart near Haret, in Eastern Romania’s Vrancea County

Terror: Miss Dinu’s Audi after the crash. Police say she smashed into the cart when it pulled out into her path

Debris seen in the road. Four people in the cart died while four others are in a critical condition in hospital Miss Dinu, who was driving an Audi, was unharmed along with her three passengers.

Police say the driver of the cart, Marian Batoaga, 46, was drunk and had pulled out into the road without checking if there was anything coming. Officers said Miss Dinu was unable to avoid the impact and hit the wooden cart head-on near Haret, in Eastern Romania’s Vrancea County. Three of the dead victims were from the same family.

Tractor Trailer Accident Shuts Down Part Of I-24

9th Oct 2015

A wreck shut down part of Interstate 24 in Marion County Friday morning. THP tells us it happened in the west bound lane near mile marker 138.

We’re told the crash involved two tractor trailers and one of them was on fire. Marion Co. Sgt. Kevin McNabb sent the picture of the fire to NewsChannel 9. Troopers say there are injuries, but all of them are minor.

Troopers haven’t yet said how many people were involved.

23 police officers injured in traffic accident after AK Party rally

7th Oct 2015

23 police officers were injured in a traffic accident in Erzurum. (Photo: DHA)

A total of 23 riot police officers returning from working at a Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) rally in Erzurum were injured on Tuesday night after the bus carrying them went off road. It was reported by the Doğan news agency that the injured police officers have been taken to hospitals for treatment and none of them are in critical condition.

Abu Dhabi Police unveils plan to fight fog

7th Oct 2015

More police patrols and a ban on lorries, heavy vehicles, and buses transporting workers are among the measures that are being implemented by Abu Dhabi Police during foggy weather.

Brig Khalifa Al Khaili, deputy director of the Traffic and Patrols Directorate, said the department always had a contingency plan in place to deal with traffic accidents that occurred during fog.

The plan was chalked out in coordination with Civil Defence, ambulances and other rescue bodies, with the aim to control traffic flow and ensure injured people were transported to hospital in a way that did not affect other road users.

Dense fog across the country on Monday reduced visibility on the roads to less than 100 metres in some parts, prompting warnings from forecasters and police. Schedules of some Emirates flights at Dubai International airport were also briefly affected, a spokesman for the airlines said.

Brig Al Khaili urged motorists using external roads in areas affected by thick fog to be cautious, reduce speed, and leave a safe distance between them and the car in front. He also asked drivers to dim their headlights and refrain from overtaking in these problem areas, which include the Abu Dhabi-Dubai Road, Al Ain-Abu Dhabi Road, Abu Dhabi-Ghuweifat Road, and Al Ain-Dubai Road.

Study: Poor People More Likely To Die In Traffic Accidents

October7, 2015

Researchers say those with lower education levels do not have access to the latest safety features found in new cars. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – The good news is that because of advances in automobile safety, fewer Americans are dying in car crashes. The bad news is that Americans who are struggling financially are not sharing in those advances, and are more likely than the well-to-do to die in a car crash.

For people 25 and older who have less than a high school diploma, fatality rates have actually increased between 1995 and 2010. Researchers looked at data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Current Population Survey to determine traffic fatalities and education levels.

They found the death rate for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists were about 2.5 times higher for those with the least education in 1995. By 2010 they were 4.3 times more likely to die in an accident, compared to higher education levels. “It’s true that there are big differences in the quality of the residential environments that people have in terms of their risks of accidental death as pedestrians,” study co-author Sam Harper told the Washington Post.

Harper explains it’s not that a college degree makes someone a better driver. People with lower educations tend to driver older cars that lack many of the safety features found in new cars, like side airbags, automatic warnings and rear cameras.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 2: According to death statistics of 2014, 5,819 death cases were registered last year out of which 3,186 cases were of Kuwaiti citizens and 2,633 of expatriates. The total population of the country has reached 4.202 million out of which 1.298 million are Kuwaiti citizens.

Sociology Expert Dr Mohammad Al-Mohannadi explained that the death rate among Kuwaitis is higher than that among expatriates due to a number of reasons such as the deaths among elderly Kuwaitis and traffic accidents that take the lives of youths because of their recklessness.

Lingerie thrown on road causes traffic chaos
An unknown individual threw several lingerie materials while driving on Sixth Ring Road, causing traffic congestion. According to sources, motorists driving on Sixth Ring Road were surprised to see several lingerie pieces of various colors lying on the road.

Many of them slowed down while some even stopped to check, which resulted in traffic congestion. When the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received information about the presence of female underclothes on Sixth Ring Road, securitymen rushed to the location and removed them. Investigations have been launched to find and arrest the suspect who threw the lingerie on the road.

12 killed 13 injured in Ankara after bus crashes into bus stop

DAILY SABAH WITH ANADOLU AGENCY 2nd Oct 2015

AA Photo

Twelve people were killed and 13 others were injured when a bus crashed into a bus stop in the capital Ankara on Thursday.

The accident in the Dikimevi district was caused by a public bus driver losing control of the vehicle, Ankara Governor Mehmet Kılıçlar told reporters. Turkish media reported the accident was the result of a brake failure.

The governor said the bus first crashed into the bus stop and came to a halt after running over victims and dragging them meters away from the bus stop. The bus also hit eight cars on the street before it came to a halt. The bus driver escaped uninjured from the accident and was being interrogated by police as the news went to print. Governor Kılıçlar said the driver had not suffered any kind of heart attack as was earlier speculated.

The initial death toll was 10 but two of the injured succumbed to their wounds at the hospitals they were taken to.

The first photos from the scene showed firefighters sawing off parts of the crashed bus to rescue an unconscious man trapped underneath and survivors with blood splattered all over their bodies. The accident is the deadliest involving a bus in recent memory. In July, seven people were killed in a bus crash in the northern city of Bolu.

Traffic accidents are common in Turkey despite measures and awareness campaigns against reckless driving. Last year, more than 3,500 people were killed in road accidents.

Over 6,500 die of traffic accidents in Vietnam in Jan-Sep, down 3.5%

TUOI TRE NEWS UPDATED : 10/01/2015

The death toll from traffic accidents in the nine months ending on September 15 decreased by more than 3.5 percent year on year to over 6,500 people, the National Traffic Safety Committee reported on Wednesday.

The period, from December 16, 2014 to September 15, 2015, saw 16,459 traffic accidents take place across the country, claiming 6,518 lives and injuring 14,929 people, the committee said. As such, around 724 people died per month on average in traffic accidents during the period, or over 24 people per day.

In comparison with the same period last year, the numbers of traffic accidents and resulting deaths and injuries were down by 12 percent, 3.55 percent and 6.29 percent, respectively, the committee said. In the period from August 16 to September 15, 697 people passed away and 1,695 others were wounded in 1,837 traffic accidents nationwide.

As compared year on year, the number of accidents in that period dropped by 153, or 7.69 percent, while the death count rose by 1, or 0.14 percent, and the injuries plummeted by 378, or 18.23 percent, the committee said. Road accidents kill around 9,000 people in Vietnam per year, or almost 25 deaths per day, while leaving hundreds of thousands of others with life-time injuries, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang said at a requiem held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 10, 2014 for the dead victims.

The event was organized to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which falls on the third Sunday of November each year. Worldwide, road accidents claim about 1.3 million lives every year, and the figure is foreseen to increase to up to 1.9 million in the future, the committee said.

Nine hurt in overnight traffic accidents

Wednesday night saw a rash of road accidents that left at least nine people hospitalized.

A 30-year-old man was seriously injured late Wednesday and three others were moderately to lightly injured when their car overturned near the southern Galilee village of Kish.

One moderately wounded man was evacuated to Haifa’s Rambam hospital by helicopter. The seriously wounded man and two others who were lightly to moderately wounded were taken to Haemek Medical Center in the northern town of Afula. There was no immediate word on the cause of the accident.

Early Thursday, a 16-year-old girl was wounded when her car ran into a wall alongside Road 471 outside Petah Tikva. Four more people were lightly hurt in the incident. All those involved were evacuated to nearby hospitals.

11 workers hurt in road accident

30th Sep 2015

RIYADH — Eleven workers were injured as their toppled over on Riyadh-Qassim Highway. Riyadh Red Crescent said there were no fatalities. One of the victims suffered from severe injuries and the rest had from mild injuries. All victims were transported to the nearest hospital and the causes of the accident are yet to be identified.

Dubai records 462 traffic accidents

Khaleej Times 29th Sep 2015

The main causes of the accidents were speeding and failure to leave enough space between vehicles.

Dubai recorded 462 traffic accidents during the three-day Eid Al Adha break. During the period, 20 non-traffic accidents were reported, in which 22 people were injured.

Brigadier Omar Mohammed Al Shamsi, Director of the Command Room of Dubai Police, said these accidents did not result in any fatalities. He attributed this achievement to the Dubai Police’s “comprehensive plans” for the break.

He said nine accidents took place in Bur Dubai, while two each were recorded in Rafaa, Rashidiyah, Al Qusais and Jebel Ali. Three accidents were recorded by Murraqabat police station and one by Port police station.

The main causes of the accidents were speeding and failure to leave enough space between vehicles.

Al Shamsi revealed that the Control Room of the Dubai Police received 20,354 calls during the three-day break. He urged motorists to drive under the stipulated speed limits and maintain sufficient space between vehicles.

Four people from the same family, returning from an Eid visit, were killed in a road accident in İstanbul on Sunday. (Photo: Cihan)

The number of traffic fatalities since the start of the Eid-al-Adha holiday on Sept. 19 has risen to 134, while 650 people are reported to have been injured in 163 car accidents during the same period.

Despite experts’ warnings and precautions by the government, the annual Islamic holiday ofEid al-Adha resulted in heavy traffic and a large increase in traffic accidents, with people leaving cities, particularly İstanbul, to go on vacation or to spend the holiday in their hometowns with their families. Trying to avoid the crowds, many people took to the roads to return before the academic year begins on Monday, Sept. 28. Despite early departures, 28 people died and 95 were injured in 16 traffic accidents across the country on Friday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s close adviser Burhan Kuzu wrote on Twitter on Saturday about the high number of traffic accidents in Turkey during Eid-al-Adha. “There has been a record increase in the number of traffic accidents, with nearly 100 people killed even though we [in the Justice and Development Party (AK Party)] have constructed many double-lane highways. There seems to be a lot of risk-taking,” Kuzu said. The tweet was strongly criticized on social media, with many people describing it as a vulgar and insensitive.

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality announced on its website on Saturday that precautions will need to be taken to prevent chaos on Turkey’s roads on Monday due to the start of the academic year. According to the announcement, public transportation will be free between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sept. 28, with a total of 1,170 police officers assigned to keep the traffic flowing in İstanbul.

13 killed in road accident in central Turkey

September 25, 2015, Friday/ TODAYSZAMAN.COM / ISTANBUL

Some 13 people, including children, were killed when a car ran into a van that rolled over on the Aksaray-Adana highway near the central Anatolian province of Niğde on Friday.

The van, packed with 13 people, crashed into barriers on both sides of the road after the driver lost control of the vehicle and rolled over at about 2 a.m. on Friday, private Doğan news agency said. A car then crashed into the van.

11 people, including 9 on the van and two on the car, were killed instantly while 2 others died of their wounds at a hospital they were taken to after the accident.

The 13 victims of the accident include a 3.5-month old baby, and children aged 1, 4 and 10 who all appear to be from the same family.

More than 90 people have been killed in road accidents across Turkey over the past few days as vacationers hit the roads for family visits or holidaying during a nine-day official holiday on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

Multiple car pile-up on Sydney’s M4 causes heavy peak hour delays

22nd Sep 2015

A multiple car pile-up that saw one vehicle lifted off the road shut citybound lanes briefly on Sydney’s M4 at South Wentworthville and is continuing to cause traffic delays. Traffic was backed up 6.5 kilometres during peak hour on the M4 after the accident near Burnett Street shut two of four citybound lanes earlier this morning.

A Transport Management Centre spokesperson said all lanes were now open but traffic remained heavy. Motorists are advised to allow additional time to travel as traffic as of 9:30am was still slow from Reservoir Road.

Emergency services, traffic crews and tow trucks cleared the scene of the pile up. Police said nobody was injured in the accident.

9 Kabaddi Players From Odisha Killed in Road Accident

September 20, 2015

The accident occurred near Sundargarh district’s Surapalli area

BHUBANESHWAR: Nine kabaddi players from Odisha were killed and 13 others were seriously injured after a mini-truck in which they were travelling fell off a bridge on Saturday evening near Surapalli in Sundargarh district.

The incident occurred around 4:30 pm on Saturday when the team from Sendhapur village in Bonai block was returning after playing a tournament in the neighbouring Dhundigaon.

The victims have been identified as Abhiram Kalo (50), Dharanidhar Nayak (60), Chandra Sekhar Pradhan (18), Gauri Chandra Kissan (22) and Umesh Kissan (25). The toll could go up as several of the injured were in critical conditions, sources said.

Sources said the driver lost control over the vehicle following which it overturned and fell off a small bridge.

Additional SP (Bonei) R.B. Panigrahi said: “The truck has been recovered from the site and all injured persons have been admitted to hospital.” The police were inquiring into the incident. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced ex-gratia of Rs1lakh each to the kin of the victims.

Nepal: Eight people killed in road accident 42 injured

Posted by: Jagriti Kumari Published: Saturday, September 19, 2015,

Kathmandu, At least eight people were killed and 42 injured when a bus carrying passengers plunged off a mountain highway in Nepal, media reported on Saturday. The incident took place at Ramechhap district on late Friday when the bus was heading towards Gothagaon VDC from the district headquarters Manthali, Himalayan Times reported. The bus was reportedly carrying 52 passengers at the time of accident. The reason behind the mishap is yet to be known, police said. According to preliminary reports, bus driver is solely responsible for the mishap.

85 Yale fraternity members face trial in tailgate death suit

19th Sep 2015

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A judge has ruled that 85 members of a Yale University fraternity will face trial in a lawsuit brought by the families of two victims of a crash during tailgating events before a football game against Harvard in 2011.

The New Haven Register ( http://bit.ly/1W7BTM0 ) reports that Superior Court Judge Kari Dooley previously had ruled that the national fraternity is a party to the suit.

Members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity were driving to a tailgating event in a U-Haul truck carrying kegs when the driver lost control and accelerated into a crowd of people, killing one and injuring two. The suit was filed by the family of the woman who died and one of the women injured.

The lawsuit seeks to hold the fraternity responsible for the driver’s actions.

Qatar- Taking photos of accident victims to be an offence

17th Sep 2015

(MENAFN – The Peninsula)File picture

DOHA: Qatar will soon criminalise taking photographs of people killed or injured in accidents through any device and transmitting them without the consent of their representatives the Qatar News Agency (QNA) has reported.

The State Cabinet yesterday approved a draft law amending some provisions of Law Number 11 of 2004 which contains Qatar’s criminal or penal code. QNA didn’t specify whether the law was about road accidents only or all kinds of accidents including house crashes.

The penal code needs to be amended to list new offences and specify punishments as it is made necessary by newer and emerging technologies. A good example is how recently cybercrimes have been made a punishable offence. Taking photographs using mobile phone cameras was for instance not a practice in 2004 when the criminal code was issued so it being listed in the penal code as an offence now.

QNA said that the proposed amendments to the penal code aim to mainly punish anyone who captures or transmits pictures of the deceased or the injured in accidents without the consent of their representatives through devices of any kind. To recall people here were encouraged to click photographs of traffic violations and forward them to Metrash2. The practice was criticised by the people many of whom claimed that it could better be avoided as it caused misunderstandings and heartburn among people.

Some said it was breach of privacy of people and families and that such photographs could be manipulated through photoshop and misused. Metrash2 is the Interior Ministry’s smartphone application so smartphone users having this application could send photos of violations directly to the authorities.

In November last year psychologist Dr Moza Al Malki came out publicly against the practice. She said she was surprised how the authorities had permitted it since it amounted to spying. “It breaches people’s privacy. We already are a society with enough problems” she was quoted as saying by local media at the time.

Another critic said the practice could lead to marital and family discords so it must be stopped. “Suppose I have told my wife I am going to a particular place but actually I am going somewhere else. My car meets with an accident and its photograph is posted on Metrash2 for everyone to else. What happens then” the critic wondered pleading that the practice must be stopped forthwith.

16 dead, 8 hurt as truck overturns in Andhra Pradesh

Rajahmundry (AP), Sep 14, 2015, (PTI)

At least 16 labourers were today killed and eight injured when a construction material- laden truck they had boarded overturned in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district.
The victims died due to suffocation after they were buried in the clinker material as the 12-tyre truck in which 35 agricultural labourers were travelling fell on the roadside at Gandepalli village in East Godavari early today, District Collector H Arun Kumar told PTI.Sixteen bodies have been taken out so far, he said. The victims, who worked in a palm plantation, had boarded the vehicle in neighbouring West Godavari district. The vehicle was coming from Dachepalli village in Guntur district, he said.Eight persons sustained injuries in the accident and all of them are out of danger. They have been admitted to a government hospital in Rajahmundry.The accident took place as the driver lost control over the wheel after apparently falling asleep. Both the driver and cleaner were absconding after the mishap, Kumar said.35 people were reported to be travelling in the truck, and 32 have been accounted for so far, the Collector said, adding the whereabouts of the others were being ascertained.The job of clearing the debris was on. State Finance Minister Y Ramakrishnudu, who belongs to East Godavari, visited the spot and announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh to the families of the deceased. Observing that the government has initiated several measures to prevent road accidents, he said such tragedies often happen due to over-speeding and the drivers not being alert. “In this case, this vehicle is not involved in the accident with any other vehicle. The vehicle itself tilted,” he said.Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and several other leaders expressed condolences over the death of the workers in the mishap.

Jordan- Man’s death in truck accident sparks riot

13th Sep 2015

(MENAFN – Jordan News Agency) A man in his thirties was run over and killed by a truck on Saturday in a village north-east of Amman, sparking a riot by locals and the victim’s family who blocked the main road, according to a security source.

It said relatives had set up barricades on the main street in the village of Abu Sayah in the Zarqa governorate to protest the latest in a series of accidents involving dump trucks used in nearby stone quarries that pass through their village. The protesters had demanded that the trucks and heavy vehicles stay off populated areas and to use an alternative route.

Deputy head of the Ruseifah police, Col. Faisal Al Barri, met elderly people and the family of the deceased to get the road cleared of debris and reopened to traffic. He promised to find a speedy solution to the problem of trucks.

Scotland: 18 children in hospital after bus crash in Airdrie

11th Sep 2015

Eighteen children were taken to hospital after a school bus and a car crashed in North Lanarkshire. The double-decker and Vauxhall Insignia collided on Petersburn Road, near Dunrobin Primary, Airdrie, at 08:40.

Pupils from Caldervale High School and a four-year-old girl who was in the car were taken to Monklands and Wishaw Hospitals as a precaution. The 17 school pupils were later released. The bus driver, 65, and car driver, 30, both men, were not injured.

Karen Kubica, head teacher of Caldervale High School, said: “There was an accident involving a school bus from Chapelhall and a car on Petersburn Road this morning at around 08:40.

“On receiving a report about the accident, school staff attended the scene of the accident immediately to assist emergency services.

“The majority of pupils from the bus were able to be accompanied to school by school staff.” Ms Kubica said 21 pupils were assessed for minor injuries at the scene of the accident.

Jordan- 15 people injured in traffic accidents last night

10th Sep 2015

(MENAFN – Jordan News Agency) Fifteen people were injured in road accidents in various parts of the Kingdom last night, according to the Civil Defense Department (CDD).

A statement by the CDD said that 9 people were injured in a traffic accident that involved 4 vehicles on the Jordan Street. CDD crews rushed the scene and administered first aid to the injured and transported them to Al Hussein Medical Center and the Specialty Hospital.

Zarqa Civil Defense Department also treated five other people who sustained moderate injuries when a vehicle overturned in the Commercial Market area in Zarqa.

A driver was also injured in the southern port city of Aqaba when a tank loaded with 40 tons of gasoline overturned and caught fire. Aqaba CDD crews administered first aid to the injured man and transported him to Prince Hashem Military Hospital in the city.

11 Iraqi Shi’ite Pilgrims Killed 24 injured in Iran Road Accident

September 08, 2015

Iranian media are reporting that 11 Iraqi Shi’ite pilgrims have been killed after a bus overturned in western Iran.

Iran’s state television quoted provincial road traffic police chief Colonel Mahdi Shakeri as saying 10 women and a man were killed in the September 6 accident in the western province of Hamadan. Twenty-four other people were reported injured.

Shakeri said the accident occurred when the Iraqi pilgrims were returning home from a trip to the Iranian city of Qom. Iran’s Shi’ite holy sites draw many Iraqi pilgrims.

Road accidents claim about 18,000 lives in Iran every year. The high death tolls are blamed on unsafe vehicles and disregard for traffic regulations.

15 killed in Brazil bus crash, 66 injured

07 September 2015

Investigators will try to determine why the bus was carrying 81 passengers when it was licensed to carry 45

By Ben Tavener

SAO PAULO: A major bus crash in southeast Brazil killed at least 15 people Sunday and injured 66, local media quoted officials as saying.

The bus, which was reported to be carrying 81 passengers, was traveling from the popular coastal city of Paraty, in the south of Rio de Janeiro state, when it crashed at around 12:40 p.m. local time (GMT 1540).

Civil police said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle after its brakes failed, causing it to miss a corner and crash down a 50-meter (164-foot) ravine, the G1 news portal reported. Images from the scene show the bus on its side in a densely-wooded area.

Paraty health secretary Paulo Eduardo Miranda said 14 victims had been killed in the accident, and one person succumbed to injuries in hospital. Thirty-seven passengers had to be rescued by emergency services from the vehicle, he said. Most of the passengers were tourists traveling toward the beach town of Trindade, also in southern Rio state.

Crash investigators are working at the scene, and are hoping to remove the vehicle and reopen the key coastline route in the next hours. Investigators will try to determine why the bus was carrying 81 passengers when it was licensed to carry 45, police investigators told the O Globo newspaper.

Paraty is a 17th-century colonial city located on the tropical mountainous coastline between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil’s two biggest cities, and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Roads across Brazil have been busy this holiday weekend, with many Brazilians traveling for te country’s Independence Day on Sept. 7.

The Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported that residents in Paraty set up a Facebook page in 2013 to complain about the lack of maintenance for buses on the Paraty-Trindade route, after at least three serious or fatal accidents involving Colitur buses — the same company involved in Sunday’s fatal accident.

The crash is the latest in a string of deadly road incidents involving buses in Brazil. In March, a bus fell into a ravine in southern Santa Catarina state killing 51 people, while in 2014, 23 people were killed in a bus accident in the northeastern state of Ceará; and 11 people were killed when a truck collided head-on with a school bus in Sao Paulo state.

Brazil has among the world’s worst records for traffic-related fatalities. In 2013, at least 40,500 people were killed, according to data from Brazil’s public health system, down from 44,800 in 2012.

A Coruna rally: Spain crash leaves six dead

6th Sep 2015

Image copyrightEPAImage captionChildren were among those injured

Six people, including a pregnant woman, have been killed after a car veered off the road during a car rally in north-western Spain. Police said that 16 people had been injured, some critically, after the accident at the A Coruna car rally.

Television footage showed the car crashing off the road into spectators in a cloud of dust. Police said that the car had been going too fast.

He said the rally had been “tinged with mourning”. “My heartfelt condolences for those killed. I wish the injured a full and speedy recovery,” he added.

The accident happened at around 20:00 (18:00 GMT) on Saturday evening near the town of Carral in the province of Galicia. Local media reported that the drivers were not among the injured. The rally has been suspended. More than 140 people had been participating in the rally, El Pais newspaper reports.

The authorities in the region of Galicia are now investigating.

Welsh coach crash in Switzerland injures 41 people

5th Sep 2015

Forty-one people have been injured – four seriously – after a Welsh coach was in a collision involving four lorries in Switzerland. The coach is from the Edwards coach operators based near Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Swiss police said three of those seriously hurt were onboard when the incident happened at about 11:15 BST on Friday, 25 miles (40 km) from Zurich. The coach had 39 passengers and was returning to south Wales from Italy.

Jason Edwards, one of the directors of the company, said the majority of those injured have been released from hospital, and he understood those with more serious injuries were not in life threatening conditions.

“The majority of those on the coach have been discharged from hospital, and they are being put up at a five-star hotel in Lucerne centre.

“We’re still waiting for confirmation on the condition of those still in hospital.”

Mr Edwards said his father, another director of the coach operator, was also in Lucerne, which is the nearest city to the incident, and that they were being assisted by British consular staff.

Police said 20 ambulances and three helicopters were used to ferry the injured to hospital.

According to Lucerne Police and Mr Edwards, the incident took place while the coach was at construction works on the A2 motorway at Eich when the vehicle was struck by a truck. That led to another lorry crashing into the back of the coach – pushing into another vehicle. Police said four lorries in total were involved in the incident, two from Switzerland, one from Poland and one from Slovakia.The firm currently runs 250 vehicles from a series of satellite depots across south Wales and a number of travel shops at Cardiff, Swansea, and Merthyr Tydfil.

One killed, seventeen wounded in separate road accidents : CDD

Amman, Aug 31 (Petra)– One person was killed and 17 others were injured in different road accidents across the Kingdom, the Civil Defence Department (CDD) said in a statement Monday.

It said a man, 69, passed away after being severely injured in a traffic accident in Aqaba in the far south of the Kingdom.

In the Mafraq city, some 80km northeast of the capital, 7 people were wounded when two vehicles collided. CDD medics said the injured people were described in moderate condition after they shifted them to the Mafraq government hospital.

In yet another accident in the Irbid governorate, to the north of the Kingdom, CDD said 10 people have been hurt in two separate traffic crashes, adding that all the injured were ferried to a hospital for treatment and they were reported in fair condition.

Crash on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Saturday

Emirati woman dies in Dubai accident

Published Sunday, August 30, 2015

A 55-year- old Emirati woman, identified as FA, died in a road accident on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Dubai on Saturday, the Arabic daily newspaper Al Khaleej has reported.

Besides the woman and the driver, her two daughters and the maid were in the car at the time of the accident.

According to the report, the car collided with another and flipped over. One of the woman’s daughters was seriously injured while the other three, including the driver, suffered minor injuries.

A Dubai Police patrol and ambulance rushed to the place of the accident and the body of the deceased and the injured people were taken to hospital. The place of the accident has been secured by Dubai Police to ensure smooth movement of traffic.

Saudi- Lack of safety steps accidents alarm Najan

MENAFN – Arab News – 23/08/2015

(MENAFN – Arab News) RIYADH: Residents of Najan a town in the south of Riyadh are alarmed over increasing road accidents.
‘Several accidents are taking on regular interval and we wonder why no preventive measures have not yet been taken’ he said.
Residents blamed it on local officials for not being responsible enough to bring the road accidents under check according to an online report.
There are no signal lights that would regulate traffic flow on both sides of the road which connects the city center with the southern parts of the city and neighboring countries they argue.
In the absence of zebra crossing or pedestrians’ path the people simply cross the busy roads which is risky.
Also they noted the roads have become quite teeming with increased volume of traffic exposing residents to greater risks.
Some of them suggested that a bridge or a flyover be constructed where people would pass safely from one side to the other.
‘Concerned government officials might as well do it now to avoid the unnecessary loss of life and limb because of the increasing number of residents’ they said.
They will eventually be forced to do it because of the inevitable growth in the population of Najan they added.

Number of fatal accidents drop due to stiffer penalties

23rd August 2015

The increase in penalties for some traffic violations has led to a drop in the number of deaths on Qatar road accidents, shows a study recently published by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics.

The study focused on accidents last year and is based on police reports. About six percent of accidents resulted in deaths, according to the report. Friday was considered the safest day of the week to drive on roads in Qatar, the report added.

The reason behind most accidents was lack of focus on the part of motorists, in addition to the use of mobile phone while driving, non-compliance with traffic rules and overspeeding. New motorists were most prone to accidents, the study said. As many as half of motorists involved in accidents had less than six years’ driving experience.

Awareness campaigns conducted by authorities achieved some of their goals, the study added. The government takes the issue of traffic accidents seriously and impose strict penalties on violators.

Among the changes is increasing the penalty from QR500 to QR1,000 ($275 usd) for wrongly overtaking on the right and illegally parking in spots reserved for the disabled people. [The Peninsula]

Shoreham air crash: Police fear death toll ‘may rise’

23rd August 2015The 1950s Hawker Hunter jet crashed into several cars on a nearby road causing a large fireball

More bodies may be found after a vintage jet crashed, killing seven people, while performing at an air show in West Sussex, police have said. Air crash investigators and emergency services will continue to search the crash scene on Sunday.

The Hawker Hunter failed to complete a loop-the-loop at the Shoreham Air Show and descended into the A27 on Saturday. The pilot was taken by air ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital and is “fighting for his life”, police say.

Seven people died and a further 14 people were injured, four of whom were taken to hospital, when the jet crashed at 13:20 BST on Saturday. “It is possible that tonight [Saturday] and tomorrow we are going to find more bodies at the scene,” said Supt Jane Derrick of Sussex Police. The force said it received about 40 calls from people concerned their relatives may have died or been injured in the crash.

Eyewitness Archie Tipple was photographing the plane as it fell below roof top level

The plane crashed, close to Lancing College, at about 13:20 BST on Saturday

The Hawker Hunter is believed to have crashed after attempting a loop

The A27 was closed in both directions

Air Accident investigators are investigating why the plane crashed, seen here at North Weald, in Essex, last month,

‘Massive fireball’

The A27 is currently shut in both directions and is not expected to re-open for the “next couple of days”, police added. Supt Derrick also apologised to drivers who were made to wait at the airfield while congestion cleared. Prime Minister David Cameron has sent his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of those who died in the crash.

Eyewitnesses have been recalling seeing the plane fall and the subsequent explosions.

Shoreham resident Dave Penwarden, 51, said he saw the plane explode. “It just didn’t seem to have enough speed to come out of the loop, instead of powering out it dropped too fast and hit the ground. “There was a massive fireball and an awful lot of smoke. Afterwards there was a stunned silence.”

Nicholas Hair, who was also at the event, said: “I’ve never seen so many grown men cry in my life. “But people of all ages and genders crying, screaming and then again just silence that just stayed over the field for 10, 15, 20 minutes.” Meanwhile, Ailish Southall, who was driving along the A27 in West Sussex with her two children, said the plane crashed close to them. “There were huge amounts of fire and we ran from the car to kind of avoid the debris because we were about 15 metres away, we were just across the road from where the accident happened.”

Tim Loughton MP, who represents East Worthing and Shoreham, tweeted: “Tragic news that there have been fatalities at the Shoreham Air Show crash and our thoughts and prayers must be with the families and casualties.”

In September 2007 James Bond stuntman Brian Brown, 49, died when he crashed a World War Two Hurricane after carrying out an unplanned barrel roll at a re-enactment of the Battle of Britain.

Hawker Hunter

The Hawker Hunter flew over crowds during the display at Shoreham Airshow

The Hawker Hunter was a mainstay of the RAF through the 1950s and early 1960s.

First flown in 1951, the single-seat plane was used as a fighter, fighter-bomber for reconnaissance and for aerobatics.

Road accident in Georgia leaves 4 Armenians dead

The accident occurred as a result of a collision of Opel and Ford Transit vehicles on a highway near the city of Kutaisi.

According to Georgian emergency services official Vladimir Jagamedze, Armenian citizens Arshavir Harutyunyan (born in 1958), Lili Nersisyan (born in 1975) and Margarita Nersisyan (born in 1957) died in the accident. Heghine Baghdasaryan (born in 2000) died on the way to a hospital.

The driver of a vehicle transporting citizens of Georgia also died, Armenian Foreign Ministry press service reports. Armenian citizens Ruzanna Harutyunyan and Margarita Markaryan, as well as two passengers of the Georgian vehicle were taken to a hospital in severe condition.

Road Accidents Kill 23 People in Bulgaria in Past Week

August 18, 2015,

Photo: BGNES

Between August 10 and 16, a total of 172 heavy road accidents took place in Bulgaria, claiming the lives of 23 people and injuring 222 people.

This is revealed by the figures of the National Police General Directorate, which was published by the Interior Ministry.

An analysis of the interior ministry shows that speeding, driving without the possession of a valid licence and drink-driving continue to be the most frequent types of road violations.

The total number of offences committed on the territory of Bulgaria between August 10 and 16 amounted to 11 504.

The highest number of offenders were registered in Sofia, followed by violators in Burgas and Plovdiv.

The largest number of traffic tickets were issued for driving without the possession of alicence, followed by drink-driving.

Seven killed, 6 injured in Kullu accident

17th August 2015

Local taking part in the rescue operation after jeep fell into gorge in the Ani area of Kullu district on Monday. Tribune photo

Seven people, including two women, were killed and six injured on Monday when an overcrowded private vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a 250-metre deep gorge in Kullu district, police said.The dead included a Nepali. Four of the injured were referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla.The accident occurred near Dalash, 150 km from Shimla, police officer Santosh Kumar told IANS over phone.According to police, the vehicle was overloaded with passengers when the accident took place.Witnesses told police the driver of the Mahindra Bolero SUV probably lost control over the vehicle when it was descending a steep gradient.It took hours for rescuers and police to bring up the bodies from the gorge.Witnesses said the administration had a tough time in extricating the victims from the vehicle, although residents started the rescue operations before the authorities could reach the spot. — IANS

17 dead 18 injured in Haiti road accident Updated:

Sunday, August 16, 2015

PORT-AU-PRINCE: A road accident left 17 dead and 18 injured this morning in Haiti as a truck crammed with passengers and other goods crashed while trying to avoid a vehicle, an official said.

“A truck carrying about 30 people, planks of wood and coal overturned, apparently trying to avoid a motorcycle that had three passengers,” said Jean-Henry Petit, the civil protection department’s technical coordinator for the Nord department.

The truck was en route from Saint-Raphael, a town some 40 kilometers from Cap-Haitien, and had almost reached its destination when the accident occurred, Petit said.

“No one who was in the truck or on the bike was spared in the accident,” Petit added.

Civil protection officers, firefighters and Haitian Red Cross teams helped with the rescue effort at the crash site, about six kilometers from downtown Cap-Haitien.

One woman died midday from her injuries, while 16 others, including one of the passengers on the motorcycle, died at the scene.

The victims’ bodies were being kept at a public hospital before being returned to their families.

The 18 injured were transferred to medical centers in Cap-Haitien. Of these, 13 people are in serious condition, Petit said.

A road accident at a Haiti highway on April 2, 2012. The the most recent accident in Haiti involving a truck on August 15, 2015 leaves 17 dead and 18 injured. — AFP pic

Road accidents are frequent in Haiti due to poor road conditions and the recklessness of drivers. In May 2014, 23 people died in Roseaux, when a truck carrying over 50 merchants and a great amount of cargo flipped over. In October 2014, 23 people died in northern Haiti in a road accident near Saint-Michel.

Jharkhand: 13 Kawad Pilgrims Killed in Road Accident Near Jamshedpur

At least 13 people, including six women, were killed and 11 others injured when a van carryingKawad pilgrims collided with a speeding truck on Friday morning near Jamshedpur steel city in Jharkhand. Eleven people died on the spot, while two succumbed to their injuries on way to hospital, PTI reports.

The injured are undergoing treatment at Jamshedpur’s MGM Medical College and Hospital, according to a Dainik Jagran report. The victims were travelling from Puri in Odisha to their homes in Siwan, Bihar. All the victims were residents of Siwan’s Andra Bazar area.

The accident took place on NH-33 in Seraikela Kharsawan district around 4.30 am. The victims had just left for their destination after having tea at a hotel on the highway when a speeding truck coming from Ranchi rammed into it.

In yet another accident on Wednesday, three Kawad pilgrims were killed and 40 injured when a bus they were travelling in overturned in Koderma district of Jharkhand.

Every year in the month of sawan (according to Hindu calendar) devotees of Lord Shiva, also called Kanwadias, embark on a KawadYatra to visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri, and collect holy water from the Ganges. They then fill the holy water in two pots that is hanged on either end of a pole or Kawad, which they carry on their shoulders, and return to their towns and villages.

Two dead in another highway accident in Serbia

AUGUST 11, 2015

The scene of the Pecinci accident

Earlier on Monday, a crash on the highway near Pecinci, northwest of Belgrade, claimed the lives of two adults and one child. That accident happened when the driver of a Croatian license-plates van, believed to have been under the influence of alcohol, collided with the rear of a truck.

Two persons died while three others were injured when a bus and a passenger car collided around midnight last night on the Ibar highway.

The accident happened in the village of Reljinci on the stretch of the road between Ljig and Rudnik. The car switched to the left lane and collided with the truck. The driver and a passenger from the car died, while two children traveling in it, and a passenger from the bus, were taken to the hospital in the town of Gornji Milanovac.

The on-duty surgeon there, Miro Lazarevic, told the Beta agency that the children were one and three years old, and that one of them was severely injured and sent to Kragujevac, while the other was kept in Gornji Milanovac.

The passenger from the bus received light injuries and has been released from the hospital. The accident disrupted traffic on the highway for several hours, but it was back to normal on Tuesday morning.

Oman- Bodies of five Emiratis killed in Adam accident airlifted to Dubai

9th August 2015

(MENAFN – Muscat Daily) The ROP on Friday afternoon airlifted bodies of five Emiratis who were killed in a road accident in Adam in Dakhliyah.

The incident happened on Friday at around 7am when a car in which they were travelling lost control and collided with a truck. All five in the car died on the spot.

The victims who were from Al Ain in UAE included three women and two men. They were headed to the Salalah festival.

The bodies were first transferred to the Nizwa Hospital before being airlifted to Dubai by the ROP.

Meanwhile two Saudi nationals were killed when the car in which they were travelling lost control in Thumrait last month. They were also going to Salalah.

The ROP has said that it has made elaborate arrangements to curb road accidents and other untoward happenings during the Salalah festival.

It has also urged motorists to be cautious.

India: Nine killed in UP road accidents

Lucknow, Aug 6 (IANS) At least nine people were killed on Thursday in two road accidents in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

Six people were killed and four injured when a truck rammed into a van in Meerut. The condition of the injured was critical, doctors said.

Three people were killed when a speeding car rammed into a parked truck in Azamgarh district.

Van crash kills Thai driver, injures 15 Laotians

A hartered van taking 15 Laotians to Aranyapreathet crashed at the rear of a parked trailer in Srakaeo province early Tuesday killing the driver and injuring all his 15 Laotian passengers.

The Laotians were travelling from Bangkok to the border town of Aranyaprathet in Srakaeo province to have their passports stamped for longer stay.

Srakaeo police officer Pol Lt Gen Suthi Udon said the police were alerted of the incident at about 4 am today on Highway 359 at Ban Nongpai on Kilometre markers 22-23.

When they arrived at the scene with rescue workers from Sawang Srakaeo foundation, they saw the driver trapped inside the badly damaged van, and injured passengers sitting and lying near the vehicle. A driver of the car following behind the van told police he saw the van rammed into the rear of the trailer.

Driver of the trailer sped amid darkness of the night, he said and added he suspected the van driver might fall asleep, and did not see the trailer in front. The van driver and passengers were later admitted to Somdech Phrayuparaj hospital where the driver was pronounced dead on arrival. A Laotian who seated with the driver said all passengers cane from Bangkok to Aranyprathet to have their passports stamped for longer stay.

Bus-truck collision: Over 15 people suffered critical injuries in the mishap

Reported 3rd August 2015

Vinod Nair – Muscat

July 30: The return trip from Umrah turned to be fatal for some Omani pilgrims as their ill-fated bus rammed into a parked truck in the Al Kharis area between Riyadh and Al Ahsa.
According to a statement from Royal Oman Police (ROP), nine passengers (all Omanis) were killed in the accident and several others suffered serious to minor injuries.
Initial reports from ROP said that around 13 to 15 passengers suffered critical injuries were admitted to the hospital in the kingdom.
The Omani embassy in Saudi Arabia is taking stock of the situation and providing all possible help to the victims. The identity of pilgrims were not known at the time of writing this report. The trip was organised by Cuba Enterprises and according to reports the accident happened on early Thursday morning.

The injured were taken to hospitals in Al Ahsa, while two of the injured were transferred to Riyadh by air ambulance. The long road travel for Umrah passengers in Saudi Arabia has been accident prone. On July 17, 32 pilgrims sustained moderate to dangerous injuries after the bus transporting them hit a truck. The bus driver lost control and hit the truck from behind. Four members of a Riyadh-based Indian family returning from Mecca after performing Umrah, were killed earlier this month when their car collided with a truck, 150 km away from the Saudi capital.
In another accident, three pilgrims were killed in a road accident in Riyadh on their way back after performing Umrah in Mecca. Shafeer, who had once travelled to Mecca by bus, said that it is a tiring journey taking over two days.“I don’t know how drivers take their turn for a relaxation, but the trip is always prone to accidents as drivers can fall asleep on the wheel.”
An Umrah and Hajj travel operator who didn’t wish to be named said, “We are responsible for all passengers travelling by our bus and we ensure that drivers are healthy and fit enough to travel long distances. We have all mechanisms in place to ensure proper rests for drivers and passengers safety.”

Thailand: One monk killed, 15 others injured in bus accident

August 2, 2015 2:41 pm

A chartered bus taking 27 Buddhist monks from Sakon Nakhon to the Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani overturned in Saraburi early Sunday, killing a monastic district chief and injuring 15 other monks, police said.

The accident happened at 1 am on the downhill Mittraparb Road in Muaklek district in front of the Phetcharat Boy Scout Camp.

Police said the part of the road was steep and it was slippery following rains, causing the bus to lose control and turn over. Phrakru Photichayanurak, 58, monastic chief of Sakon Nakhon’s Wanornniwas district was crushed and killed by the bus.

Death toll rises to 27 and 147 injured in Mexico truck tragedy

31st July 2015

Relatives and friends mourn next to the coffin of a pilgrim who died in the truck accident in Mazapil – REUTERS

(Vatican Radio) The death toll in Thursday’s truck tragedy in Mexico, in which the out-of-control vehicle ploughed into a procession of pilgrims, has risen to 27, with 149 injured.

The Governor of the Northern Mexican State of Zacatecas, Miguel Alonso Reyes, is pledging to help those injured and the families of those who died.

Mexico’s Secretary of Health, Mercedes Juan Lopez, who’s also visited the injured in the hospital, has repeated this, as the State and Federal Governments combine to cope with a tragedy of horrifying proportions.

Mexico’s President, Enrique Peña Nieto, has also come to the area, visited hospitals, and is offering condolences as well as help.

The accident couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The town of Mazapil was celebrating its San Jesús of Nazarath Day, and the streets were packed with pilgrims, slowly making their way to the church San Gregorio Magno.

Investigators say the brakes of a truck, which was loaded with building materials failed, and it careered into throngs of poeple. It ended up on its side by a building. Police are searching for the driver, who fled the scene.

“There was a party, dance, fireworks. Everything was going well. There was a happy atmosphere,” Campos said.

A man looks at the site where a truck plowed into a crowd of pilgrims in Mazapil,

“I was walking with the people who led the contingent when a big dust cloud appeared. There was a loud noise. We ran and saw a terrible scene,” he said.

“Some people had died, others were in agony. We offered them religious rights,” the priest said. A police car was in front of the procession while an ambulance had been at the back when tragedy struck.

Religious processions through roads and towns are common throughout the year in Mexico, a fervently Roman Catholic country of nearly 120 million people.

Photo document of police arrange vehicles stuck in traffic at the junction of Gadog, Bogor, West Java. (ANTARA/Jafkhairi)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Traffic accidents that occurred across Indonesia during the Idul Fitri exodus resulted in 628 fatalities, according to a spokesman for the police.

“The number of casualties during the Ketupat Operation held till Day+7 of Idul Fitri reached 628,” Brigadier General Agus Rianto, a spokesman for the Indonesian Police Headquarters, said here on Saturday. The police launched the Ketupat Operation on July 10, which was seven days before (D-7) Idul Fitri. It will be held till July 25, seven days after (D+7) the festival.

As many as 2,985 cases of traffic accidents took place, claiming 628 lives, seriously injuring 1,028 people and slightly wounding 3,808 others. However, the number of traffic accidents declined 4 percent from that in the same period of 2014. In addition, fatalities decreased 8 percent; the number of people who sustained serious injuries dropped by 0.1 percent; and the number of people who suffered minor injuries reduced by 3 percent.

On D+7 alone, there were 97 cases of traffic accidents, wherein 16 were killed, 26 sustained serious injuries and 86 received minor ones. “The number of cases of traffic accidents dropped 52 percent, while the number of fatalities decreased 64 percent as compared to that in the same period last year,” he stated.

During the 16-day operation, 82,538 police personnel were deployed. Besides them, 12,761 military personnel and 50,377 personnel from other institutions were fielded.

Himachal Pradesh bus accident: 9 bodies recovered, 20 still missing

Friday, 24 July 2015

Around 20-24 people have been reported to be missing and chances of their survival are bleak, according to various news reports.

Image Courtesy: ANI

Nine dead bodies have been recovered after a tourist bus, with 51-56 passengers on board, fell into a gorge in River Parvati in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday.

According to the Kullu Police Control Room, 23 people have been rescued so far while at least 20 persons are still missing. The Kullu PCR informed dna, that the NDRF team have been asked to help.

Himachal Pradesh recently witnessed heavy rainfalls that washed away several roads in Kullu following the flash floods and the local administration had already announced the area as accident prone.

Injured passengers who were under treatment at the local hospital in Kullu told a local news website that the bus driver tried to avoid a crash with a two-wheeler in Sarsari village and hit a rock, after which the driver lost control and the bus fell 200 feet from the cliff into the Parvati river.

Among the 23 rescued, there were three kids (aged 3, 5 and 9 years) and 4 women. Most passengers were from Mansa and Barnala town of Punjab who were going to the famous Sikh shrine in Manikaran.

Car-bus collision killed 5 in Kollam district

22nd July 2015

Police said four of the victims belonged to a family and the other victim was car driver. All of them died on the spot.

Five persons were killed when the car they were travelling in collided with a bus at Karunagappally in Kollam district on Wednesday morning.

Police said four of the victims belonged to a family and the other victim was car driver. All of them died on the spot. The state-owned super fast bus was proceeding to Palakkad from Thiruvananthapuram.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – The driver of the Mercedes involved in a crash on Highway 17 Business that left two North Carolina girls dead and six people hospitalized is facing two counts of reckless homicide, according to officials.

Horry County Coroner Robert Edge identified the victims of the crash as 11-year-old Dakota Shepherd from Timberlake, North Carolina, and her cousin, 9-year-old Skyler Emore. Both were pronounced dead at the scene from internal injuries, Coroner Edge said.

Neil Dejean, 47, from Duson, Louisiana, was driver of the Mercedes involved in the crash, and has been charged with two counts of reckless homicide. He was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center, according to Corporal Sonny Collins with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Dejean has also been charged with open container of beer or wine in motor vehicle, but not for DUI, according to jail records.

The two-vehicle accident blocked traffic on Highway 17 Business south near Pirateland Campground Tuesday evening, according to Horry County Coroner Robert Edge and the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The crash happened between a red Dodge minivan carrying a family of five, and a black Mercedes car carrying three passengers at about 8 p.m.

The Mercedes was traveling south on Highway 17, and the Dodge minivan was traveling north and turning left onto a private drive when it was hit by the Mercedes, according to Lance Corporal Hannah Wimberly with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The van lost control and struck a parked car on private property.

A mother, father, daughter, niece and son were in the Dodge van. The daughter and niece were killed in the crash, the parents were hospitalized, and their son was in the ICU Tuesday. The driver and two passengers of the Mercedes were also hospitalized, though their condition was not known Wednesday morning.

Cpl. Kerns of the Myrtle Beach Police Department says the MBPD officers were dispatched to the scene at 8:03 p.m. A South Carolina Highway Patrol MAIT team is still investigating the accident.

Jordan- Two people killed, 8 others injured in traffic accident

21st July 2015

(MENAFN – Jordan News Agency) Two people were killed and 8 other were injured when their vehicle overturned on the Irbid-Jerash highway.

Civil Defence Department rescue teams administered first aid to the injured and took them to King Abdullah University Hospital.

Their condition was reported as moderate.

4 persons killed, 3 injured in a car accident in Jazan Region

21st July 2015

(MENAFN – Saudi Press Agency) Four people were killed and three injured from one family when their car hit a stray camel on a road in Jazan region today.

The Information Spokesman of the branch of Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Jazan Baishi bin Isa Al-Sarkhi pointed out that the accident took place on Jazan-Al-Madhaya road, noting that the ambulatory teams arrived at the site of the accident and provided first aid to the injured who were admitted to Jazan General Hospital.

Dhaka: 16 Killed, Over 50 Hurt in Bangladesh Road Accident

20th July 2015

At least 16 people were killed and over 50 others injured today in a major head-on collision between two passenger buses in northern Bangladesh.

The incident took place at the west side of Bangabandhu Bridge in Sirajganj district, around 125 kms from here, in the wee hours when a Rangpur-bound bus from Chittagong collided with a Dhaka-bound bus from Gaibandha area.

Soon after the accident, fire brigade, ambulances and police were rushed to the spot to carry out rescue and relief operations.

Among those killed, 12 people died on the spot including both the bus drivers while four others succumbed to injuries on way their way to hospital. All the injured were rushed to different nearby hospitals.

Meanwhile, an inquiry was initiated by the authorities.

“A four-member committee has been set up to investigate the accident and directed to submit their findings within three days,” Deputy Commissioner Billal Hossain was quoted as saying by bdnews24.Com. The families of those killed would be given 10,000 Taka (USD 129), he said Superintendent of Police Miraj Uddin Ahammed said Rangpur- bound bus from Chittagong was driving on the wrong side which caused the mishap.

Oman: Seven killed, several injured in Salalah -bound bus accident

20th July 2015

(MENAFN – Muscat Daily) Seven people were killed and 27 others injured in the wilayat of Haima when a bus heading to Salalah collided with a car coming from the opposite direction during the wee hours of Saturday according to a reliable source at Public Authority for Civil Defense and Ambulances (PACDA).

A top Lulu Hypermarket management official told Muscat Daily that the bus to Salalah was carrying 30 passengers when it collided with a car. So far five victims have been identified. “Three Omanis in the car and two Indians including a three-year old girl child in the bus have been identified among the victims. Two more bodies have to be identified” he said. According to him among the Indians killed one was a Lulu Hypermarket staff and the other was his friend. The child was the daughter of a staff member he added.

The injured are undergoing treatment in Nizwa Hospital and Haima Hospital.

The bus was transporting employees from Lulu Bausher and their families to Salalah for a holiday.

Google Sees First Injury Accident for Self-Driving Cars

July 16th 2015

(LOS ANGELES) — Google Inc. revealed Thursday that one of its self-driving car prototypes was involved in an injury accident for the first time.

In the collision, a Lexus SUV that the tech giant outfitted with sensors and cameras was rear-ended in Google’s home city of Mountain View, where more than 20 prototypes have been self-maneuvering through traffic.

The three Google employees on board complained of minor whiplash, were checked out at a hospital and cleared to go back to work following the July 1 collision, Google said. The driver of the other car also complained of neck and back pain.

In California, a person must be behind the wheel of a self-driving car being tested on public roads to take control in an emergency. Google typically sends another employee in the front passenger seat to record details of the ride on a laptop. In this case, there was also a back seat passenger.

The simulation shows Google’s car being rear ended at 17mph at a junction in Mountain View after stopping at a red traffic light.

Google has invested heavily as a pioneer of self-driving cars, technology it believes will be safer and more efficient than human drivers.

This was the 14th accident in six years and about 1.9 million miles of testing, according to the company.Google has said that its cars have not caused any of the collisions — though in 2011 an employee who took a car to run an errand rear-ended another vehicle while the Google car was out of self-driving mode.

In 11 of the 14, Google said its car was rear-ended.

In a blog posted Thursday, the head of Google’s self-driving car program, Chris Urmson, wrote that his SUVs “are being hit surprisingly often” by distracted drivers, perhaps people looking at their phones. “The clear theme is human error and inattention,” Urmson wrote. “We’ll take all this as a signal that we’re starting to compare favorably with human drivers.”

In a telephone interview, Urmson said his team was exploring whether its cars could do something to alert distracted drivers before a collision. Honking would be one possibility, but Urmson said he worried that could start to annoy residents of Mountain View.

According to an accident report that Google filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles about the July 1 crash: Google’s SUV was going about 15 mph in self-driving mode behind two other cars as the group approached an intersection with a green light.

The first car slowed to a stop so as not to block the intersection — traffic on the far side was not moving. The Google car and the other car in front of it also stopped. Within about a second, a fourth vehicle rear-ended the Google car at about 17 mph. On-board sensors showed the other car did not brake. The driver of that car reported “minor neck and back pain.” The SUV’s rear bumper was slightly damaged, while the vehicle that struck it lost its front bumper.

Mountain View police responded, but did not file an accident report.

Six dead, 19 injured in bus accident in Himachal Pradesh

Saturday, 11 July 2015

Six persons were killed and 19 injured when a private bus fell into Machhada Khud near Rampur Friday morning. Some more persons, including a child, are reported to be missing and feared to have been washed away after the accident that occurred about 120 kms from here.

The death toll could rise as the exact number of people travelling in the bus is yet to be ascertained, police said. Rescue efforts are on. Six bodies have been recovered and all the injured have been rushed to hospital at Rampur, they said. The bus was on its way from Rampur to Shimla when it fell down into the Khud at Machhada bridge.

Soldier Narinder Verma, who escaped with minor injuries, said that possibility of some bodies being washed away into river Sutlej could not be ruled out. The accident led to a traffic jam and district administration had a hard time in rescuing the victims and retrieving the bodies.

UK: Missing couple are found in crashed car – one dead and the other critically injured – THREE days after accident was reported to police

9 July 2015

A dead man and a critically injured woman were yesterday found in a crashed car – three days after the accident was reported to police. Lamara Bell, 25, and John Yuill, 28, were reported missing on Sunday after they disappeared from a weekend camping trip.

Officers found them yesterday morning in a crashed blue Renault Clio. Mr Yuill was dead while Miss Bell was last night fighting for her life in hospital after suffering serious injuries.

Police Scotland admitted that it had received a call regarding a crashed car on Sunday, but had not followed it up. Last night, Miss Bell’s family were by her bedside in hospital while Mr Yuill’s family were too distraught to speak.

Victims: John Yuill, 28, (left) and Lamara Bell, 25, (right) were reported missing on Sunday after they disappeared from a weekend camping trip. Officers found them yesterday in a crashed blue Renault Clio

The couple were last seen at a camping trip at Loch Earn, Perthshire, with Miss Bell’s brother, Liam, his girlfriend and a friend, Paul Mooney.

The group had reported the two missing after hearing a car start at around 4.30am on Sunday. Police Scotland launched an investigation to find the pair, but neglected to follow up a crash on the M9 near Stirling, just miles away from the pair’s home in Falkirk, Stirlingshire. Miss Bell has two children, a daughter aged nine, and a son aged five, while Mr Yuill was a father of two young boys. The couple had recently moved into a new home.

An investigation into the circumstances is to be carried out by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner. Assistant Chief Constable Kate Thomson of Police Scotland said officers had been called to the M9 southbound near Junction 9 at about 9.50am yesterday. That followed a report of a one-car crash involving a Renault Clio which had left the road.

The man driving the car had been pronounced dead at the scene, while the woman passenger was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where she is in a critical condition.’ She added: ‘We believe that this is connected to the ongoing missing persons search for John Yuill and Lamara Bell.

A PIRC spokesman said: ‘The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has directed the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner to carry out an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a 28-year-old man and serious injury of a 25-year-old woman following an incident at the M9 southbound near Junction 9 at Bannockburn on July 8.’

Deadly Road Accident near Islamabad Kills 6

Jul 9, 2015

Islamabad – At least six people were killed and several others sustained injuries in a deadly road accident near Islamabad on Wednesday.

According to media reports, the accident took place on Fatahjhang Road near the Tarnol suburb of federal capital, where a two passenger vehicles, a van and a minibus, collided from opposite directions.

A rescue teams reached the site and shifted the injured to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad and District Headquarters Hospital in Rawalpindi.

Several of the injured are reported to be in extremely critical condition and death toll is expected to mount. Police sources said that the driver of the bus was also among those killed.

Speaking to media, SSP Traffic said that the incident occurred when the minibus took a wrong overtake and went on wrong lane, where it collided with the van that was its on its way from Mangochar to Quetta.

Drink drivers liable for accident costs in Cook Islands

7 July 2015

Changes in health policy in the Cook Islands mean that anyone who causes an alcohol-related driving accident is liable for the victim’s medical costs.

The new Ministry of Health Patient Referral Policy was passed in cabinet on Tuesday, and takes the burden of health bills off any innocent victim of road incidents.

The new policy says anyone who causes a crash and has to be hospitalised will be required to pay half the costs and any return airfares. They must also pay for a family escort and medical escort if required.

The policy committee will periodically update clinical guidelines, eligibility criteria and standard forms for transferring patients within the Cook Islands and referrals to New Zealand.

The Health Minister, Nandi Glassie, says the policy is a milestone for health and has come after two years of consultations.

15 farm workers killed in truck accident in Turkey

July 6 2015
ANKARA, Turkey — An official says a truck transporting milk has slammed into a pickup truck carrying farm workers to a plantation in western Turkey, killing 15 people, most of them women.

Erdogan Bektas, governor for Manisa province, said two other people were injured in the accident, which occurred Monday on a road near the town of Golmarmara. Manisa is some 530 kilometers (330 miles) south of Istanbul.

The cause of the accident was under investigation but Bektas said authorities believe the milk truck driver might have fallen asleep while driving. The governor said the victims included 13 women from the same village who were being transported to pick grape vine leaves used in Turkish cuisine.

Google driverless cars in accidents again, humans at fault — again

SAN FRANCISCO — Google’s autonomous cars were once again involved in accidents while out mapping the streets of Mountain View, Calif. But in both instances, as with the dozen or so previous incidents over years of testing, humans in other vehicles were at fault, according to Google.

The search company released its latest autonomous-car monthly report Wednesday, detailing two accidents in which drivers rear-ended their driverless tech-equipped Lexus SUVs while stopped at a red light.In one case, the offender hit Google’s Lexus at around five miles an hour, and caused damage to the rear bumper. In another, the speed was even slower and there was no damage.

lthough Google was for years reporting its accidents to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, it had not broadcast that data publicly. But after pressure from activist organizations such as the Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project, it reversed its stance a month ago and created a website for a range of updates about its autonomous car project.

A private bus carrying 38 passengers collided head-on with a truck on the Khandwa-Indore road on Wednesday.

KHANDWA, MADHYA PRADESH: At least twenty-five persons, including four women, were killed and 19 others injured when the bus in which they were travelling collided with a truck near Choti Chhaegaon Makhan area in Khandwa on Wednesday.

The incident occurred when the private bus, carrying 38 passengers, collided head-on with a truck on the Khandwa-Indore road, Khandwa Superintendent of police MS Sikarwar told Press Trust of India.

The bus was on its way to Khandwa from Indore while the truck was heading towards Indore, Mr Sikarwar said, adding, at the time of the collision both the vehicles were moving at a high speed. The injured were rushed to the district hospital.

Mr Sikarwar and District collector Mahesh Agrawal reached the hospital soon after the accident. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 1.5 lakh to the kin of the victims and Rs. 50,000 to the persons injured.

An investigation has been initiated into matter.

Tragedy of children orphaned after parents die in motorbike crashes a year apart: Father kept riding to show them ‘there was nothing to be afraid of’ after mother’s fatal accident

1 July 2015

Two children have been orphaned after losing their father in a motorcycle crash, 16 months after their mother died the same way.

Eilidh MacDonald, 11, and her brother Eoghan, nine, lost their mother Lynsey Cargill in a ‘freak accident’ after she crashed into a car during her motorcycle test last February.

Single father Eion MacDonald kept riding his motorbike to prove to his children that it was a one-off and to stop them being afraid.

Eion MacDonald, pictured with children Eilidh (left) and Eoghan (right), was killed in a motorbike crash on Sunday – 16 months after his partner died in another accident

But on Sunday night he was involved in a collision with a car on the A92 Stonehaven to Montrose road and was killed instantly.

Last night, the 38-year-old’s family said his death was ‘all the more tragic’, coming so soon after the loss of his children’s mother. In a statement released through Police Scotland, they said: ‘It is with great sadness that this has happened to our family unit, something that would be tragic for any family to bear. ‘Eion was a valued family member who will be sadly missed by all. He loved life and his children. We will never forget him.’

Lynsey Cargill, 35, died in a ‘freak accident’ while taking a compulsory bike safety lesson in February last year

They added that it was ‘all the more tragic’ as Miss Cargill had died in a motorcycle accident in February 2014, adding: ‘We ask that we are given peace to grieve together as a family in this difficult time. Sleep tight Eion.’

The children’s 35-year-old mother was killed while sitting her Compulsory Basic Training test on a road on the outskirts of Dundee. The barmaid was being guided on a motorbike by an instructor, with radios in their helmets to communicate. But she hit a car on a corner and was taken to Ninewells Hospital with head, pelvis and lower limb injuries on February 24, 2014. She died in intensive care the next day.

Mr MacDonald, a contracts manager, had to bring up his children as a single father in the Aberdeenshire village of St Cyrus and tried to help them recover from the loss. The father of two, a keen snowboarder and crab fisherman, was killed near his home at the entrance to St Cyrus caravan park on Sunday night, after his motorcycle collided with a Seat Alhambra.

A source close to the family said Mr MacDonald kept riding after Ms Cargill’s death in order to show his children there was noting to be afraid of, but died in a crash on Sunday (pictured) He died at the scene, while the 57-year-old driver, believed to live at the park, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A report regarding the death will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and police have requested witnesses to the crash to call 101.

Motorists urged to slow down as over 27,000 accidents happened last year

The Nation June 30, 2015

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration City Clerk Sanya Chinimitr Tuesday urged Bangkok motorists to drive slower after 27,460 road accidents happened in the capital last year and most accidents occurred because the motorists drove too fast.

The accidents saw 262 people killed and 61,140 others injured.

Horror in Belgium as British coach carrying 34 children from £31,000-a-year Essex private school crashes, killing the driver and leaving scores injured

28 June 2015

A bus carrying more than 30 British children has crashed and overturned on a Belgian motorway killing the driver and leaving a 13-year-old boy in intensive care with serious head injuries.

The coach had 34 children on board from the second year of £31,000-a-year Brentwood School in Essex, whose former pupils include footballer Frank Lampard, model Jodie Marsh and broadcasters Noel Edmonds and Sir Robin Day.

The coach left the school early this morning and is thought to have hit a bridge pillar on the E40 motorway in Slipje ending up in a ditch below, while travelling to Cologne in Germany, where they group were going to visit a theme park.

Some of the children who were on the coach stand at the side of the road after being pulled to safety from the vehicle after it overturned.

All of the children survived and most suffered only minor injuries, however, one child is in intensive care in hospital with serious head injuries.

Emergency workers were called to the scene after the crash, with a local police spokesman saying there were 34 children, aged 11 to 13, and eight adults, including teachers, on board.

The accident happened just before 10am and ambulances and fire engines raced to the scene at the side of the motorway where the bus overturned.

Bus overturns, hit by truck on highway in China, killing 12

Jun 28, 201s

BEIJING (AP) — A bus overturned on a highway and was hit by an oncoming truck in eastern China, killing at least 12 people, officials said.

Another 24 people were injured Friday, including three in serious condition, the government of Wuhu city in Anhui province said. The crash was under investigation.

State broadcaster China Central Television said the bus overturned into the opposite lane and was hit by the cargo truck.

It wasn’t clear how many people were aboard the two vehicles.

Photos circulating in the social media showed rescuers in a rain on a wet road with the bus resting on its side.

Road accidents in China are often caused by poor driving, inadequate maintenance, overloading, and dangerous mountain roads. The number of motorists also has been rapidly increasing, with the rise of the country’s middle class.

Brazil: what they did to a driver who parked in a disabled bay. Click to view

26th June 2015

UK: Mother and four children fighting for their lives after being mowed down by car ‘doing 100mph’ as they walked to the park

21 June 2015

A mother and her four children are fighting for their lives after being mowed down by a car ‘doing 100mph’ as they strolled to the park. Five ambulances and an air ambulance rushed to Grove Lane in Handsworth, Birmingham, following the horrific collision at 12.05pm today.

Paramedics found a woman in her 30s, a four-year-old boy, a seven-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy had been hit by a grey Seat Leon. Witnesses said the two youngest children were sent flying ’20 to 30 metres down the road’ due to the force of the impact as the family crossed the road.

Police have arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of dangerous driving.

Police cordoned off the area where the horrific crash took place earlier today, leaving five people with life-threatening injuries

Tragic scene: The junction of Grove Lane and Antrobus Road in Handsworth, Birmingham (pictured) where the car hit a mother and four children as they walked to the park

A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after ploughing into a woman in her 30s and four children aged four, seven, 12 and 14 at this junction in Handsworth, Birmingham

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said the youngsters were taken to Birmingham Childrens’ Hospital, where their conditions are described as life-threatening. He said: ‘Crews arrived to find a car that had been in collision with a group of pedestrians.

‘A boy, believed to be four years old, suffered serious head injuries and was resuscitated by medics at the scene after he stopped breathing for a short time.’ He added: ‘A woman in her 30’s suffered serious head and pelvic injuries in the crash. She received emergency treatment at the scene from medics and was transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Major Trauma Unit for further emergency treatment. ‘A girl, believed to be 12 years old, suffered serious head injuries and also back injuries. She also received emergency treatment at the scene by medics to stabilise her condition. ‘A boy, believed to be 14 years old, also suffered a head injury.

‘Unfortunately the patients’ injuries are considered life threatening.’

Witnesses said the two youngest children were sent flying ’20 to 30 metres down the road’ due to the force of the impact as the family crossed the road.

Twenty-five persons, who sustained injuries in the accident, have been rushed to hospital, he said, adding the accident occurred around 1 pm.

The bodies are still being extricated from the bus and rescue operations are on, he said.

Causes of the accident are being probed, he said. Chief Minister Harish Rawat has expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident and Mr Rawat announced compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to the next of kin of those killed, Rs. 50,000 for those seriously injured and Rs. 20,000 for those who sustained minor injuries.

State Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay also expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident.

Fatal car crash on crowd in Austrian city of Graz

20th June 2015

At least three people are dead and dozens injured after a man drove his car into crowds in a square in Austria’s second largest city of Graz. The driver has been arrested, though police say there were no indications the attack was motivated by terrorism. Part of the city was sealed off, with large numbers of ambulances and helicopters sent to the scene.

The square in Graz was hosting an event related to the Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix, which is being held nearby. The regional governor confirmed that three people had died and 34 were injured, some seriously.

Hermann Schuetzenhoefer told reporters that the suspect was a 26-year-old man who was “mentally unbalanced”. “There is no explanation, there is no excuse,” he added. Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann also said he was deeply shocked by the incident.

Sixty ambulances and four helicopters were sent to the scene. Eyewitness Helmut Reinisch told the BBC he saw bodies lying on the ground “covered in blood,” including a young boy. He added that the car was travelling at least 100 km/h: “It was really horrible, everybody was shocked.”

Police have sealed off the square

The city’s mayor, Siegfried Nagl, witnessed the incident. “The driver deliberately drove into pedestrians. I myself saw a woman being run over,” he told Kleine Zeitung newspaper. Another witness described a lucky escape. “I was having cappuccino on the main square when people started screaming and then there was the loud noise coming from a car engine. I leapt to safety in a nearby arcade.”

Authorities say 60 ambulances were sent to the scene

The Austrian Grand Prix takes place this weekend in Spielberg, and it is thought that many of the city’s emergency services had been deployed there. The mayor has cancelled all city events in Graz and ordered black flags of mourning to be raised above municipal buildings, AP reports. There are unconfirmed reports that after crashing the man left the vehicle and attacked people with a knife.

Up to five soldiers have suffered “life-changing injuries” after three military vehicles collided on Salisbury Plain, a few miles from Stonehenge.

Another 16 people were described as “walking wounded” by police. Two of the casualties had to be cut free from the wreckage by firefighters.

The accident near Westdown Camp, Larkhill, happened on a public byway that cuts through the defence training estate in Wiltshire at about 6.30pm on Wednesday.

A military exercise was taking place on the Plain at the time but it was unclear whether the vehicles were taking part in it. Wiltshire Police confirmed in a statement that there had been “a road traffic collision between three military troop carriers on Salisbury Plain, involving up to 20 military personnel”. They included British and Indian soldiers.

Wiltshire Police said the accident took place on a public route across the Plain. “The RTC [road traffic collision] happened on a by-way which cuts through the Plain, hence why we were called,” police said. It was unclear whether the byway was open to the public at the time.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We are aware there’s being an accident on the Salisbury Plain training area and we understand there are a number of casualties.” He said the military was working with Wiltshire Police and the South West Ambulance Service.

The spokesman was not able to confirm whether or not the vehicles were taking part in the exercise when the accident happened.

(MENAFN – Arab News) JEDDAH: The Kingdom loses about SR20 billion each year from more than 500000 traffic accidents according to a local academic.

Abdullah Al-Rubaish president of the University of Dammam said that more than 30 percent of the beds at the Kingdom’s hospitals are occupied by patients injured in accidents.

Al-Rubaish said that the recent award launched to find the country’s ideal driver would help people abide by the nation’s traffic laws. ‘Our entire society badly needs more awareness and outreach programs to reduce these traffic accidents and protect citizens and residents’ said Al-Rubaish.

He called on the public to participate in the contest for the ideal driver launched by the Saudi Society for Traffic Safety in the Eastern Province. ‘The society has succeeded over the few past few years in raising awareness among motorists and educating them on the importance of adhering to traffic laws’ he said.

He said that more than 7000 people visited the portal of the award since it was launched with about 400 having registered. Participants must have had no traffic fines for three consecutive years. ‘Our efforts to address traffic issues started years ago and resulted in the establishment of the Saudi Society for Traffic Safety’ he said.

India: 40 killed in two road accidents

17th June 2015

(MENAFN – Gulf Times) Two accidents killed nearly 40 people in India yesterday, including one in which a van full of pilgrims plunged into a river, in the latest deadly crashes on some of the world’s most dangerous roads.

Twenty-two people, including seven children, were killed when the van carrying Hindus returning from a pilgrimage to the famous Tirupati-Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh lost control on a bridge and fell into the Godavari river.

“The vehicle hit a railing, which broke under the impact of the collision, and fell off the bridge,” senior state administrator Arun Kumar said.

“It’s purely (a case of) negligent and rash driving. It was not a vulnerable point of the road and neither was there any traffic,” the officer said. The victims were all from Achutapuram village of Visakhapatnam district. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his grief on Twitter and promised that authorities were “providing all help possible.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed suit and conveyed his condolences on the micro-blogging site, calling the incident “saddening and unfortunate.”

In the other accident, a head-on collision between a truck and two tractors carrying dozens heading to a prayer ceremony killed 17 people, including five children, in Uttar Pradesh, senior state official Amit Gupta said. The crash, which left 30 others injured, sparked anger among local residents who blocked roads and threw stones at police near Harchandpur, some 60km from state capital Lucknow.

The price of a life.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav expressed grief and announced an immediate compensation of Rs200,000 $US 3000) each to the families of the dead and Rs50,000 each for those injured.

UK: 30st motorist who killed a jogger when she ran a red light begs judge not to jail her claiming she is ‘too fat for prison’

Motorist Linda Ann Jenns knocked down and killed jogger Paul Stinton

49-year-old jumped a red light in her white Ford Kuga in Ashford, Kent

Found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving by jury following trial

The 49-year-old begged to be spared prison after being convicted of causing his death by dangerous driving at Canterbury Crown Court.

Her barrister Ian Bridge said ‘morbidly obese’ Jenns hoped to get a gastric band and would not be able to cope with life behind bars.

He said she had a stroke seven years ago and at the time of the crash was receiving treatment for her weight problem.

Mr Bridge said she had lost between five and six stone and was hoping for a gastric band to be fitted which would have increased her life expectancy quite dramatically.

‘As it is she is grossly overweight, morbidly obese and since the incident has put on even more weight,’ he said. ‘She is a person for whom a prison sentence would be extraordinarily difficult and I don’t think I exaggerate when I say she might not get through it.’ Judge Heather Norton adjourned sentence for two weeks pending medical reports and granted Jenns bail.

But she warned Jenns, of Ashford, Kent, that she faced ‘an almost certain’ jail sentence for the offence – and also gave her an interim driving ban.

The jury had heard evidence from a number of of motorists and shoppers waiting near a retail park, on a wet winter’s day in January 2014. One of them, Debbie Lange told the court: ‘I was sitting talking with my daughter when a grey van came hurtling past my car in the outside lane of the dual carriageway. ‘It shook my car which made me look up and it went through the red light. Two seconds later a white car came past at speed and straight through the red traffic light. I then noticed something flying up in the air. I wasn’t sure what it was until I saw some arms and legs. ‘I said to my daughter: ‘My goodness, did you see that?’ I realised then it was a person.

22 pilgrims killed in road accident in Andhra Pradesh

June 13, 2015 12:50 IST

As many as 22 persons, including seven children, were killed on Saturday when their vehicle fell off a bridge over Godavari river at Dowleswaram in Andhra Pradesh’s Rajahmundry district, police said.

The tragedy occurred as a group of pilgrims was returning in an SUV after a visit to the Tirupati temple, police said, adding that the ill-fated travellers hailed from Achyutapuram near Visakhapatnam. A boy, who sustained injuries, is the lone survivor of the mishap. He is undergoing treatment at a hospital, police said.

“The vehicle hit a railing, which broke under the impact of the collision, and fell off the bridge,” East Godavari Collector Arun Kumar told PTI. Among the deceased are seven children, eight women and seven men, including the driver of the vehicle, who was also its owner, he added.

The incident is understood to have occurred in the early hours and police said they were alerted at around 5am. “It’s purely (a case of) negligent and rash driving. It was not a vulnerable point of the road and neither was there any traffic,”

Indian bus accident sees at least 16 electrocuted

13th June 2015

At least 16 passengers have been electrocuted and 27 others injured after their bus hit a high-voltage power line in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said.

The private bus was carrying more than 50 members of a wedding party when it came in contact with a loose overhead wire running across the road in Pachewar area of Tonk district, 100 kilometres from the state capital Jaipur.

“Sixteen people have been confirmed dead. Many are critical,” Tonk police chief Deepak Kumar said. The dead included at least five children, the officer said. Mr Kumar said the uninsulated wire got entangled in the overhead luggage rack, exposing the passengers to thousands of volts of electric current.

The injured were being treated for burns at a government-run hospital in the district.

14 killed, 20 injured in road accident in Punjab

Friday, June 12, 2015

Nawanshahr: At least 14 passengers died on Friday and 20 others were seriously injured, when the private bus in which they were travelling slid off the road and dashed against a tree near village Behram, police said.

The bus was on its way from Nawanshahr to Jalandhar at the time of the accident, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Snehdeep Sharma said.He said that the bus was passing through a deep curve when it slid off the road and dashed into a tree. The injured had been hospitalised.Police are investigating the cause behind the accident, he added.

Cyclist dead after alleged hit and run, woman faces 9 charges

Darya Selinevich, 22, allegedly fled the scene after the collision

June 11th 2015

Suspect in fatal collision shouldn’t have been driving

A 22-year-old woman who is facing nine charges after allegedly striking and killing a cyclist in north Toronto on Thursday shouldn’t have been behind the wheel in the first place, court documents show.

Darya Selinevich, who appeared in court Thursday, has a suspended licence for an unpaid fine stemming from running a red light.

Selinevich allegedly fled the scene after hitting a 44-year-old cyclist who was crossing the intersection of Finch Avenue West and Tobermory Road in the pre-dawn hours on Thursday.

A bicycle lies at the scene of a hit and run that killed a cyclist early Thursday morning in Toronto. (Tony Smyth/CBC) Soon after the crash, police located a woman in a vehicle they believe was involved in the incident about 5½ kilometres away from the scene. She was allegedly driving a badly damaged dark blue BMW. Police said the woman led officers on a short chase before she was taken into custody.

Selinevich’s Facebook profile makes several references to drinking and driving. One post from 2012 includes a picture of a pint glass in a car cup holder, while in another post she mocks a police R.I.D.E. poster. Selinevich faces seven criminal charges and two provincial charges.

Of the nine charges, seven are criminal charges:

Driving while disqualified.

Criminal negligence causing death.

Dangerous operation causing death.

Impaired operation causing death.

Fail to stop after accident causing death.

Flight while being pursued by police.

Refusing to provide a breath sample, after someone has died.

The two provincial charges are:

Driving while under suspension.

Driving a motor vehicle with no current validation on the plate.

Service dog throws self in bus’ path to protect blind owner

Published June 10, 2015

Figo, a service dog injured while trying to protect its owner from being hit by a mini school bus, is seen in this screenshot from MyFoxNY. (WNYW MyFoxNY)

BREWSTER, N.Y. – A service dog threw himself in front of a mini school bus to try to protect his blind owner and stayed by her side as emergency responders tended to the injured pair, authorities said. Both Figo, the golden retriever, and his owner, Audrey Stone, were on the mend Tuesday, a day after the collision with the mini school bus in Brewster.

Police photos of Monday’s crash showed fur stuck to the bus’ front wheel, according to the Journal News (http://lohud.us/1drjicn ). “The dog took a lot of the blow,” Brewster Police Chief John Del Gardo said. “And he did not want to leave her side. He stood right with her. He was there to save her.”

The driver said he didn’t see the pair crossing the road. He was given a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian. The two kindergarteners on the bus weren’t injured. Paul Schwartz, who manages a gas station at the intersection, ran over to help. The dog didn’t want to leave her side,” Schwartz said. “He was flopping over to her, and she didn’t want him to get away from her, either. She kept screaming” Figo’s name, said Schwartz. “We kept telling her he was fine.” “He let us wrap up his leg without any problem. He wasn’t barking or crying or yelping. But he kept pulling toward her,” Schwartz said.

The driver was taken off duty while an investigation is conducted. The review will include dashboard cameras in the minibus and another bus that was in the area at the time, according to Steven Moskowitz, Brewster’s assistant superintendent for human resources and technology.

Schoolchildren killed in Peru mountain road accident. BBC News

8th June 2015

A tipper truck carrying schoolchildren has fallen into a ravine in a remote area of Peru’s Andes mountains, killing 17 people and injuring many others.

The schoolchildren had taken part in a parade in Huanuco’s regional capital, Huanuco.

The truck fell about 100m (330ft), officials say. Children, a teacher and several parents are among the dead. They were returning from an event in the town of Huanuco on an unsealed mountain road.

An inquiry has been launched into the cause of the accident. The driver has survived and is being questioned. Deadly road accidents are common in Peru, especially in remote mountainous roads.

Related Stories

3 Hong Kong tourists killed, 3 injured in Thai road accident

Monday Jun 8, 2015

BANGKOK (AP) ” A Thai driver and three Hong Kong tourists were killed, and three others were injured in a road accident on a highway in western Thailand, police said Monday.

The passenger van carrying 6 tourists from Hong Kong lost control and flipped over while driving on a highway in Cha-am district in Petchaburi province, police Lt. Sayumphu Sitthikul said. He said police were investigating why the car braked suddenly, skidded across the road and slammed into trees by a storm drain in the middle of the road on Sunday evening.

Sayumphu said the tourists were related and were on their way to Thailand’s southern province of Chumporn before the van crashed. He said the injured passengers were sent to a provincial hospital in Petchaburi, which is 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Bangkok.

Road accidents are common in Thailand, where safety standards are poor and road rules are weakly enforced.

14 migrants injured in road accident in Macedonia

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonian police say 14 migrants were injured early Sunday when the van they traveled in went off the road after the driver tried to escape a police checkpoint.

Police tried to stop the van for a routine check shortly after midnight, but the driver speeded up. The van went off the road and crashed into an underpass pillar. The unhurt driver was arrested.

The injured migrants have been taken to hospital in the central Macedonian town of Veles. Two with more serious injuries — hip and leg fractures — were transferred to a hospital in the capital Skopje.

Macedonia has become one of the main transit routes for thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa, entering from neighboring Greece on their way to western European countries.

UK: Rochdale death crash youth boasted of 142mph M62 drive

28th May 2015

Officers said it was the worst crash they had ever seen

A teenager who boasted of driving at 142mph on a motorway went on to kill a man whose car was split in half in a high-speed crash. Addil Haroon, 19, from Rochdale, claimed he drove from Leeds to Rochdale in 11 minutes on the M62 in a hired Audi A6, Manchester crown court heard.

Haroon then drove at 80mph on a residential street before killing Joseph Brown-Lartey, 25, last November. He was jailed for six years after pleading guilty over the crash. Minshull Street Crown Court was told Mr Brown-Lartey died at the scene, on 9 November, at traffic lights in Rochdale.

Addil Haroon was jailed for six years

Sgt Paul Higgins, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said experienced traffic police officers described the crash scene as the “worst” they had ever seen. Haroon admitted causing death by dangerous driving, causing death whilst unlicensed, causing death whilst uninsured and dangerous driving.

The defendant, of Essex Street, had hired the Audi and then spent several days driving with no licence or insurance, took a photo on his phone as the speedometer reached 142 mph on 8 November. He messaged a friend saying: “Leeds to Rochdale in 11 mins catch me.”

Hours later, at about 04:40 GMT on 9 November, he crashed into Mr Brown-Lartey’s Audi A5 at the junction of Bury Road and Sandy Lane. Sgt Higgins, of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Haroon’s dangerous behaviour put innocent members of the public at risk and his irresponsible actions have devastated a family.

“He was uninsured, unlicensed and driving dangerously, but he paid no heed and sadly, Joseph paid the price for this.”

17 perish in Indonesia road accident

May 28 2015

Jakarta – Seventeen Indonesian pupils were killed and five others injured on Thursday after a truck carrying them to school overturned into a ditch on western Sumatra island, police said.

Local traffic police Capt. M. Syafei said five other students were hurt in the crash near a palm oil plantation in Tapanuli Tengah District in North Sumatra province. Most of the about 50 passengers were students. The victims were between 12 and 17 years old.

Most were thought to attend junior high school and high school, where pupils are typically aged between 12 and 18. “Seventeen students were killed and five were injured, including one seriously, after the truck overturned,” said Syafii.

“One of the front wheels of the truck came off, causing it to overturn and roll into a ditch full of mud, about 2.5 metres deep.” The driver survived, he added. Fatal accidents are common on Indonesia’s poorly maintained roads.

There is little public transport in rural Indonesia and it is common for people to hitch lifts on trucks.

UK: Twenty drivers to get points and £100 fine for taking pictures of four-lorry pile-up – but the first they’ll know is when the letters land on their doormats

Two of the truck drivers suffered minor injuries despite the carnage

The rubber-neckers are now facing prosecution for careless driving

28 May 2015

Twenty motorists who took photographs of a four-lorry pile-up will receive £100 fines and three points on their licence after an eagle-eyed traffic policeman spotted them using their mobile phones while driving. The crash happened on the A14 in Cambridgeshire during the morning rush hour causing considerable delays.

However, at least 20 drivers used their mobile phones to either photograph or film the scene and now face a fine and points or possibly a court date and.

The collision happened on the A14 between Histon and Girton, in Cambridgeshire, at about 5.45am and involved one lorry which was carrying seven-and-a-half tonnes of teddy bears.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said officers have noticed a growing problem of motorists trying to film accident scenes while driving. The officer noted details of the offending cars and is currently preparing to send out summonses for careless driving.

Motorists who took photographs while driving this morning are facing fines of £100 and three penalty points. ‘The officer decided against pulling over the drivers and dealing with them immediately. Instead he took down their registrations. It was a spur of the moment decision by the officer.

‘Using a mobile phone while driving is incredibly dangerous. If they are taking photographs or filming a collision, they are not paying attention to the road and could cause further incidents.

‘You don’t need to be talking on the mobile phone to face prosecution. Even if they are not talking on the device, they will face prosecution if in the opinion of the officer, they are a danger to themselves or other road users.’ The drivers involved, most of whom are completely unaware of what has happened, are now facing a £100 fine with three penalty points for careless driving. If the case goes to court, the Magistrate can dock between three and nine penalty points while imposing a fine of up to £5,000.

The drivers of two of the lorries suffered minor injuries and the incident caused significant disruption.

Two Qataris die in accident

27th May 2015

(MENAFN – The Peninsula) Two citizens were killed and another was injured in an accident on Salwa Road yesterday. Al Sharq said the incident happened around noon when a pick-up carrying them collided with an overturned truck. Further details could not be known.

Mathematician John Nash and his wife killed in New Jersey taxi crash

Mathematician John Nash, 86, has been killed in a taxi crash on the New Jersey Turnpike along with his wife Alicia, 82

The pair weren’t wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle when their driver allegedly lost control and hit the guard rail

24 May 2015

John Nash, the mathematician made famous in the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind has been killed in a taxi crash in New Jersey. Princeton University professor Nash, 86, and his 82-year-old wife Alicia were both killed when their taxi crashed while travelling south on the New Jersey Turnpike at about 4.30 p.m. on Saturday. The driver allegedly lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre and hit the guard rail. Nash and his wife were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle, according to police.

The taxi driver survived with non-life threatening injuries. One other vehicle, a Chrysler, was involved in the crash. A passenger from that vehicle was injured and also transported to hospital.

The accident is under investigation and no charges have been laid.

Russell Crowe was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Nash in the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind, which won four Oscars including Best Picture.

Nash, a West Virginia Native, won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994, the year before he joined the Princeton mathematics department as a senior research mathematician. The movie won four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. Nash had been married to wife Alicia Nash for nearly 60 years. She had been his caretaker while he battled his mental illness. He is best known for his work on game theory and his struggle with paranoid schizophrenia, both depicted in the 2001 Hollywood movie. They became mental health care advocates when their son John was also diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Nash spent his career at Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is considered a giant in mathematics, particularly in the field of partial differential equations, but won the Nobel Prize in economics for a paper he wrote on game theory, the mathematics of decision-making. Nash is known for his work on game theory and his struggle with paranoid schizophrenia, both depicted in the 2001 Hollywood movie.

Russell Crowe tweed on Sunday that he was ‘stunned’ to learn of the couple’s death and he described their marriage as an ‘amazing partnership’. Crowe, who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Nash, said he was ‘stunned’ to learn of the couple’s death. In addition to the Nobel, Nash has won the John von Neumann Theory Prize (1978) and the American Mathematical Society’s Steele Prize for a Seminal Contribution to Research (1999). Nash was in Norway on Tuesday to receive the Abel Prize for mathematics from King Harald V for his work, along with longtime colleague Louis Nirenberg, on nonlinear partial differential equations. Nirenberg, reached at his home Sunday, said Nash was a ‘wonderful mathematician’ and person. Nirenberg had just flown back from Norway with the couple. The Nashes were taking a taxi back from the airport, he said. Nirenberg had known the couple since the 1950s.

John and Alicia Nash had been married for nearly 60 years and she had been his caretaker while he battled his mental illness. Nash and his wife were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle, according to police.

Honda, Toyota and Nissan recall 600,000 vehicles sold in UK over shrapnel-spraying airbag

PUBLISHED: 21 May 2015

Thousands of British drivers could be driving cars with potentially lethal airbags that spray out metal shards like a grenade, it has emerged. Honda, Toyota and Nissan recall 600,000 UK vehicles up to 12 years old as part of a global recall of 34million vehicles due to the defective airbags, which use the volatile substance ammonium nitrate – used to make bombs.

Automotive experts discovered that the moisture in the airbags, made by Japanese company Takata Corp, can cause the substance to ignite too quickly which can send ‘metal shards into the passenger cabin that can lead to serious injury or death’.

Automotive experts discovered that the moisture in the airbags, made by Japanese company Takata Corp, can cause the substance to ignite too quickly which can send ‘metal shards into the passenger cabin

The recall is part of a global recall of 34million cars due to defective airbags that have been found to ‘over-inflate aggressively’ using the volatile substance ammonium nitrate – used to make bombs

Experts say that some of the people affected by the defect looked as though they had suffered gunshot wounds to the face and the firm is currently battling a number of lawsuits in the US from people killed or injured. It’s alleged that top Takata bosses tried to cover up the defect for years.

The vehicles recalled in the UK are some of the best-selling cars in the country, including the Toyota Yaris, Corolla and Hilux models and Nissan Almera and X-trail vehicles.

All customers will have the fault repaired for free – but Nissan, who are recalling 100,00 UK vehicles, confirmed they won’t be writing to customers to inform them until next month.

Honda are recalling 300,000 UK cars – just under 122,000 for the drivers’ airbag and just over 207,000 for the passengers’ airbag – and say they are ‘reviewing’ the news that led to the recall, which came from safety experts in the US.

Toyota UK are recalling 160,000 cars with airbags made by Takata and say they are also reviewing the US announcement and will ‘respond as necessary’. So far, the fault has been linked to six deaths in Honda cars, five in the US and one in Malaysia.

Injuries include those suffered by Stephanie Erdman, of Destin, Florida, in the U.S, who said her life ‘changed forever’ when she lost part of her vision after she had what was only a minor accident in her 2002 model Honda Civic in 2013Erdman suffered severe injuries to her face, with her airbag exploding, leaving a piece of shrapnel embedded in her right eye and neck

Injuries include those suffered by Stephanie Erdman, of Destin, Florida, in the U.S, who said her life ‘changed forever’ when she lost part of her vision after she had what was only a minor accident in her 2002 model Honda Civic in 2013.

‘My accident involved moderate frontal impact. The headlights of the vehicle weren’t broken. My passenger had mild scrapes and bruises,’ she said. But Erdman suffered severe injuries to her face, with her airbag exploding, leaving a piece of shrapnel embedded in her right eye and neck. She was ‘instantly blind’.

‘Since that day, I have endured multiple surgeries and therapy. I have more of them to go. My vision will never be the same. I will never be the same,’ she told the inquiry. Takata, one of the world’s biggest air-bag companies, allegedly first started changing its airbags in 2008 to help prevent the risk of humidity causing them to deploy abnormally, Bloomberg reports.

Bloomberg claims that three people close to the matter, who do not wish to be named, confirmed the 2008 redesign. So far in the UK, Honda, Toyota and Nissan cars have been recalled. However, more makes and models could be added to the list in the coming weeks.

Registered owners are expected to receive letters from the car companies informing them if their car is affected. However, to check if your car has been recalled, you can either visit the manufacturer’s website or find out on the Government website.The cars that have been recalled so far include:Toyota: Corolla, Yaris, six-seater Picnic and Avensis Verso made between March 2003 and March 2007 Rave4, Yaris and Hilux models built between July 2003 and December 2005. These are believed to have potential driver-side airbag problemsNissan: Navara pickup, Tino, Patrol, Almera, Terrano II and X-Trail models built between 2004 and 2007Honda:The firm has yet to announce specific models but you can check if your car has been recalled on the company’s website.

Corey Burdick, a 26-year-old from Eustis, Florida, was blinded in one eye last year when a piece of metal shot out of the Takata airbag in his 2001 Honda Civic. He told the New York Times: ‘I’d like to know why it took them till now. What’s different now from a year ago? Mr Burdick, who is married with two young sons, works in a warehouse loading pallets with a forklift and has filed suit against Takata and Honda. He added: ‘It’s been a mix of emotions, like a roller coaster.’

The issue came to the forefront last year with congressional hearings in which Takata executives appeared evasive and uncooperative. But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began fining the company $14,000 a day in February this year to pressure it to supply documentation on internal probes dating back more than a decade.

Head of the NHTSA Mark Rosekind said the accumulated penalties have topped $1 million, but the daily fine has been suspended since Takata “stepped up” to cooperate with investigators.

The company could still face more civil and criminal fines from various government agencies, depending on results of ongoing investigations and its cooperation with investigators. Last week, it acknowledged the potential safety defect for the first time after damning results from US safety officials which has led to the worldwide recall and made shares in the Tokyo-listed company to nosedive by more than 10 per cent.

Honda UK said it was reviewing the news from the US ‘to determine what new actions may be required to further ensure the safety of our customers.’ Toyota GB said ‘Our focus remains on the safety and security of our customers.’ It is ‘evaluating’ the US announcement and will ‘respond as necessary.’ Nissan in the UK also said it was keeping a watching brief.

NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said Takata’s airbags use ammonium nitrate to inflate in a crash. But the chemical, which can be used to make bombs, is volatile.

A man arranges airbag cushions at a plant for Japanese car parts maker Takata Corp

So far, testing has found that airborne moisture can get into the inflators and cause the ammonium nitrate to burn hotter than it should, he said. Mr Rosekind added: ‘We know that owners are worried about their safety and the safety of their families. ‘This is probably the most complex consumer safety recall in U.S. history.’

Investigators still don’t know the root cause but linked it to moisture in the airbags – and found the effects could be grave. They noted: ‘Over time, that moisture causes changes in the structure of the chemical propellant that ignites when an air bag deploys. The degraded propellant ignites too quickly, producing excess pressure that causes the inflator to rupture and sends metal shards into the passenger cabin that can lead to serious injury or death.’

The recall came after the firm was ordered to comply with new safety checks following the probe. US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: ‘This is a major step forward for public safety.

‘The Department of Transportation is taking the proactive steps necessary to ensure that defective inflators are replaced with safe ones as quickly as possible, and that the highest risks are addressed first. We will not stop our work until every air bag is replaced.’

Takata doubles faulty airbag recall to 34 million

By Howard Mustoe Business reporter, New York 20th May 2015

Japanese airbag maker Takata has said that mechanisms in the airbags of almost 34 million cars are defective. It will lead to the largest recall in US automotive history, affecting models from 11 carmakers.

The number is double previous estimates for faulty air bags from the manufacturer.

US regulators said Takata has still not found the cause of the defects. The airbags have been linked to six deaths and more than 100 injuries. “Today is a major step forward for public safety,” US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

‘Metal shards’

“The Department of Transportation is taking the proactive steps necessary to ensure that defective inflators are replaced with safe ones as quickly as possible, and that the highest risks are addressed first.”

The Transport Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its analysis of test results “points to moisture infiltrating the defective inflators over extended periods of time as a factor”.

That moisture may make the chemicals that ignite to set off an airbag burn too quickly, causing the structure to break and “sends metal shards into the passenger cabin that can lead to serious injury or death”, said the administration.

Previous recalls

Both passenger and driver airbags will be recalled in an effort that started in high-humidity areas of the US, but will now be national. Last week, Japanese carmakers Honda and Daihatsu said they would recall some five million cars globally to replace the potentially deadly airbag inflators made by Takata. Toyota and Nissan also said they would be recalling 6.5 million vehicles over the same issue.

Honda said that the models affected included the Fit subcompact and would not affect its cars sold in the US, where most of the deaths occurred.

Death toll in UP tractor-train accident rises to 8

20 May, 2015,

BIJNORE: Four more persons died today, taking the death toll in an accident between a train and tractor trolley at Najibabad to eight, police said today.

Ten other injured persons are still undergoing treatment, Inspector General (Law and order) A Satish Ganesh said in Lucknow today.

A tractor-trolley was hit by a Kotdwar-bound passenger train at an unmanned crossing in Najibabad yesterday killing four persons on the spot, police said. The persons who died today are yet to be identified, they said.

Four persons who died yesterday were identified as Omawati (40), Lal Singh (40), Romesh (35) and Ram Kunwar (60), they said.

They were all on their way to Haridwar to perform ‘mundan’ ceremony when the tractor trolley in which they were travelling was hit by Kotdwar-bound passenger train at an unmanned crossing, police said.

A closer look: How crews inspect school buses after accidents

19th May 2015

No one was hurt in the crash at 9th Ave and Walnut Street Monday, and both the bus and the car that hit it weren’t too badly damaged. Tens of thousands of kids across Washington ride them every day: school buses. After a school bus was involved in a crash Monday morning in Spokane, KHQ talked with crews about what was done to make sure the bus is safe to be back on the road.No one was hurt in the crash at 9th Ave and Walnut Street Monday, and both the bus and the car that hit it weren’t too badly damaged.

“When we have an accident we call the State Patrol. They come out and inspect the bus before it goes back out,” said John Pike, general manager of Durham’s Spokane facility.After an accident, the protocol requires the Washington State Patrol to look for any signs of damage. They’re looking for everything. Anything mechanical that might be wrong, structurally that’s wrong, making sure the tailpipe hasn’t been crushed,” said Pike.

Along with regular maintenance, every Durham bus at the Spokane facility is inspected by the Washington State Patrol twice a year. “They’ve already come here and inspected about 40 of our buses,” said Pike. “We’ve got another date in June after school gets out, and come back in August for a few days then.

Texas bikers in deadly shootout at Waco restaurant

Police in the US state of Texas say nine people have been killed and at least 100 arrested after a shootout between rival biker gangs in Waco.

The incident happened at the Twin Peaks Sports Bar and Grill in a shopping area called the Central Texas Market Place.

Police said eight had died at the scene and a ninth in hospital – all were bikers. At least 18 others were hurt. One witness quoted by the Waco Tribune-Herald said the car park of the restaurant resembled “a war zone”. “There were maybe 30 guns being fired in the parking lot, maybe 100 rounds,” Michelle Logan said.

Diners at the Twin Peaks cafe said they and the staff had locked themselves in a freezer room for safety before being escorted off the premises by armed police.Waco police said the shooting happened shortly after midday when rival gangs got into a fight, apparently over parking space near the restaurant. Up to five gangs were involved.

Police spokesman Sgt W Patrick Swanton said the fight started with punches and then escalated to chains, clubs, knives and finally firearms. Police sealed off the area around the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco

“This is probably one of the most gruesome crime scenes I’ve ever seen in my 34 years of law enforcement,” he said.

Man dies following rollover, auto-pedestrian accident

By Katie McKellar May 17th, 2015

ST. GEORGE — A St. George man died Saturday after he and his father were involved in a rollover crash and then struck by another vehicle after they climbed out of their truck.

St. George resident Lorenzo Longinos-Perez, 46, was driving a white pickup with his 29-year-old son, Lazaro Longinos-Perez, as a passenger going northbound on state Route 18 about 15 miles away from St. George when they hit a patch of slush left from a hail storm, the Utah Highway Patrol reports.

The pickup veered off of the road to the right, rolled and came to a rest on its side, according to the UHP. The father and son were climbing out of their vehicle when a Cadillac ran over the same patch of slush and hit them both.

Lazaro Longinos-Perez was life-flighted to Dixie Regional Hospital, where he died Saturday from his injuries, police said. His father was transported to the same hospital with a broken leg, broken pelvis, and other injuries, but UHP officers say he’s expected to recover.

Police report the male driver of the Cadillac and his female passenger were not injured in the crash.

At Least 14 Killed in El Salvador Road Accident

By REUTERSMAY 16th May 2015.

SAN SALVADOR — At least 14 people were killed in El Salvador when a truck collided with a pickup full of passengers on a road in the west of the country, police said on Friday.

A police spokesman said the truck driver lost control of his vehicle in a residential area of the city of Santa Ana, and hit the pickup, killing eight adults and six children. Twelve people were injured, the spokesman added.

15th May 2015Australian Capital Territory will increase speed cameras in wake of report that finds accidents have increased where they were used since 2006.

Serious accidents increased where speed cameras were used in the Australian Capital Territory according to a report released Thursday by ACT officials who cited the finding as a reason to install more cameras. The much delayed evaluation examined accident records at 121 locations, half with and half without automated ticketing machines, from 1994 to 2012.

According to the analysis, since 2006 serious crashes increased 7.1 percent at the locations with speed camera enforcement compared to a 1.4 percent increase at control intersections that had no cameras. Similarly, the report found no benefit from the use of red light cameras.

“Trends in crash counts for [red light camera] intersections showed an increase in crashes following the introduction of the fixed cameras followed by a decline to rates slightly lower than baseline levels,” the report concluded. “On the other hand, crash counts for control intersections were relatively consistent before and after.”

Officials ensured that speed cameras were placed on streets with underposted speed limits. Most engineers believe it is safest to set the limit at the speed at which the vast majority of drivers travel in free-flowing conditions. This is known as the 85th percentile speed. “The 85th percentile speeds on all streets were predominantly above the speed limit for the full time period,” the report stated.

Despite the results, the report presumes that speed cameras are an effective safety tool and speculated that accidents increased because there were not enough of them in use after 2006. “It is also strongly recommended that further research on injury crashes during this period is performed, i.e. a linked data analysis between crashes and hospitalizations in order to understand the causes for these changes, and identify priority areas and possible intervention strategies,” the report concluded.

Opposition leaders last week blasted the ACT government for withholding the study for almost a year, suggesting it was hiding or even manipulating the results to protect the lucrative program.

“I will again ask the government why the report has not been released and ask them again to release it,” opposition spokesman Alistair Coe said. “The long delay in releasing the report suggests that the government is trying to hide negative findings. It cost ACT taxpayers $163,924 and it is important that the community can see the report’s findings.”

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) issued 721,802 speed camera tickets worth $106 million for the state government between 1999 and 2014.

Google’s self-driving cars involved in 11 accidents, director says

13th May 2015

Internet search company Google Inc’s self-driving cars have been involved in 11 accidents, but have not been the cause of any, over the last six years since the project began, the program’s director said on Monday. A team of drivers that is testing the fleet of more than 20 vehicles have driven 1.7 million miles so far.

“…Not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident,” Chris Urmson said in a post on technology news website Backchannel’s blog Medium. (bit.ly/1GZciuW) No one was injured in the accidents, Urmson added. “If you spend enough time on the road, accidents will happen whether you’re in a car or a self-driving car.”

The cars had been hit from behind seven times, mainly at traffic lights, with a majority of the accidents being on city streets rather than on freeways. “We’ll continue to drive thousands of miles so we can all better understand the all-too common incidents that cause many of us to dislike day-to-day driving – and we’ll continue to work hard on developing a self-driving car that can shoulder this burden for us,” Urmson said.

Things to know about accidents involving self-driving cars

By JUSTIN PRITCHARD Associated Press 11th May 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A small fleet of cars that maneuver through traffic using an array of sensors and computing power is driving on California roads and highways.

Since September, seven companies have received permission from the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to test these cars of the future in public. Four of the 48 vehicles have gotten into accidents, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

Here are some things to know about self-driving cars:

THE COMPANIES: The companies rolling with the most cars are not traditional automakers – they’re run by Silicon Valley billionaires.

According to the DMV, Google has 23 Lexus SUVs, while electric car maker Tesla Motors has 12 vehicles. The other companies have long legacies in the car industry. Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan have three vehicles each; parts suppliers Bosch and Delphi each have two.

THE HUMANS: The DMV is still drafting rules for when the cars are ready for the general public to use. When that will be depends on whom you ask – Google executives have said their timeframe is the next few years. Others talk about truly self-driving cars say decades, not years.

For now, the DMV reviews the qualifications of the people required to be in the driver’s seat – just in case. In all, 255 people are licensed, according to the DMV.

As with the number of cars, Google has the most what it calls “safety drivers” – the tech giant has 159 of them, the DMV said. The agency said Bosch has 12; Delphi has nine; Mercedes-Benz has 12; Nissan has 17; and Tesla has 16. Audi has 30 licensed drivers, according to the DMV, but the automakers said in an email it has 27.

HOW FAR THEY HAVE DRIVEN: Google said its cars have gone “the equivalent of over 15 years of typical human driving” since September. That would be about 140,000 miles. Google was driving its cars on public roads before state lawmakers passed a law regulating testing. “Since the start of our program 6 years ago, we’ve driven more than 700,000 miles autonomously, on both freeways and city streets, without causing a single accident,” spokeswoman Katelin Jabbari said.

The other companies wouldn’t say how many miles their test cars have driven since September.

OTHER STATES: Nevada, Michigan and Florida also have passed laws permitting self-driving cars on their roads. Because other states have not expressly outlawed the cars, companies may test elsewhere – though the four states with rules have just about every driving condition and terrain.

Regulators in Nevada, Michigan and Florida said they were not aware of any self-driving car accidents since they formally welcomed the cars onto their roads over the last few years.

7th May 2015 UK: Husband guilty of murdering wife in M1 crash

Ian Walters killed his wife Tracy because she wanted a divorce, the court was told

A man accused of murdering his wife by deliberately driving their car into a motorway embankment has been found guilty. Driving test examiner Ian Walters, 51, was accused of driving off the M1 in Leicestershire at about 80mph to kill his wife Tracy. The Swindon couple were travelling home from a “make or break” holiday, Leicester Crown Court heard.